Rise of the Triad 2013 (PC) Review

A lot of games sell themselves as a nostalgic experience these days. It's big business to go find something adults who grew up in the 80s and 90s loved as children and sell it to them again. And many of those adults will smile fondly at their memories and buy that small token to remind them of those days. Video games are no exception as over the past few years we have seen remakes, remasters, and special anniversary editions of games that used to run on pre-Pentium PCs and pre-CD-ROM consoles all over the place. The results can be varied from really cool to blatant cash-grab. And that's perhaps the biggest tragedy of this game. While it was clearly made by people who love the original and wanted to share that experience with modern tech, that love of the old and the nostalgia that comes with it is simply not enough to make a game great... or in this case good.

Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst (PC) Review

Much like for many gamers, E3 and it's big presentations from the console makers is traditionally an exciting time for me. They show off a whole slew of new and exciting games to drool over each year and it is even kinda fun to discuss who "won" the convention. However as the years have marched on we have seen a decline. Nintendo bowed out entirely, Konami no longer makes games at all, and most of us have been given reason to distrust anything to come out of either EA or Ubisoft. But this year, Microsoft would announce something I have been waiting literally 7 years to hear: Phantasy Star Online 2 is coming to the United States.


This is arguably the biggest news for me personally to come out of E3, as Phantasy Star is one of those series that I have collected every game that was on shelves for and shy of one Gamecube exclusive, I have absolutely loved every instance I have played. But at the same time, I never did get to finish the two online titles. Now that the direct sequel to one of them was finally coming out in the US, I had to change that. And despite the game being officially shut down over a decade ago, private servers would give me my chance. And now after over 90 hours of gameplay, I can say this game too is now finished. And I absolutely loved... well, most of it.

Call of Cthulhu (PC) Review

It was a long time since the stars aligned like this. To say that Lovecraft's mythos should translate well into video games, but somehow never really does it right is an understatement. And yet it makes perfect sense as most such games want to put you head to head with things there is no way in hell a mere mortal human should even understand, much less take down.

Now that is not to say there have not been good or fun games with this theme. From the darkly funny and goofy Cthulhu Saves the World to the extremely tense, challenging, and (at least till the end) perfectly fitting the hopelessness of cosmic horror Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, there is a lot of fun stuff in the genre. But its been over a decade since that last title, and nothing since has really captured the essence of these tales so well, at least that I've played... until now.

The 7th Guest: 25th Anniversary Edition (PC) Review

This is not the first time I have played this game. In fact this was one of my first "must have" games way back in the days of DOS. At the time, I had a current (for the time) 486 PC and it did not take long till I had fallen in love with what is arguably my first actual horror game. I did manage to finish it, loving every second (well, besides the infamous microscope puzzle). And back then, I considered it one hell of a gaming achievement.

But with the game down and done, there was little reason to ever return so much as keep the CD-ROM as a memory on my shelf. That is until April this year when this version dropped without warning on us all. The idea of getting a new version with "director's cut" material and a novelization of the story was too much for me to even consider resisting and I bought it day one. But now that I have the game, what makes this version so special? Well, after finishing it, I can't say a lot, unfortunately.

Extra Life 2019 Recap!

Another Extra Life Marathon completed and behind the Red Sector team, and another amazing time! To recap the absolute basics, as of the end of the marathon Extra-Life 2019 has raised almost $10,000,000 for the year ($9,663,137 to be exact), setting us up to once have another record breaking year! Our own records this year have also been effectively smashed as at $1,584.63, and neither is done yet, as Extra-Life will be taking donations right to the end of the year, so if you haven't gotten involved and helped these kids, there is still time! Our team's page is available by clicking the thermometer next to this post or click here! And thank you!

Furthermore, we have done all this so far despite the dickheads of the web rearing their heads again as there were SEVERAL DDOS attacks on the Extra-Life page throughout the marathon. For those who do not know, a DDOS attack is when someone overloards a server's ability to respond to users, disabling websites (and other applications) in the process. Yep! Assholes are assholes and cost the marathon time which could have brought in even more and yet we STILL did this well! Sometimes, the good guys really do win.

But on top of that, I'm sure you also want a recap of the big event this year as we at the Red Sector celebrated helping kids. Well, step on in.

Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones (PC) Review

What is with games that hold so much promise, then let you down so hard? This is another game I have to say did this to me. Last year I saw the demo out there while looking for things to make variety in the 100 Days of gaming. The restrictions the development team insisted on for anyone showing it off gave me second thoughts about playing it for everyone and in fact, I chose to do other games. This should have been a warning to me. But this year the full release came out, and the excitement of a good Lovecraft RPG got the better of me and I picked it up as my "this is for me" birthday gift. Well, let's just say I didn't pick a good one this year.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PC) Review

Here is a title that has had my curiosity for a good long while. Originally I found out about it at a Gamestop where they had the PSVita version on the shelf. Max Powers pointed it out, but there was no way I was going to get a new portable just for this game. Still, the concept had my curiosity. So when I got to play the demo of game 3 during last year's 100 Days of Gaming for Extra Life I wasn't about to say no. And it didn't take long for that demo to impress me enough to pick up the first game and add it to my collection. Now, as we reach the credits, I am SO glad I did.

Extra Life Update

On Nov 2nd, gamers from around the world will begin what has become a decade long tradition: a 24-hour marathon where outside of food or bathroom, there are no breaks. Just keep playing! For those brave enough and in areas that use Daylight Savings, it's going to be 25 hours, another tradition!

But this also means we are starting to reach the wire as we are just a few scant weeks from the final month before the big event, and we need your help to make it an even bigger year then last. And I mean that for me, my team, and the entire event. We have huge shoes to fill since as noted at the beginning of the year, we managed to bring in over $1000 as a team to help sick kids, and over $13,000,000 as an event. As always www.extra-life.org will have counts going during the marathon itself and with your help we can break both records.

So far we have managed to bring $225 to the table, no small feat in it's own, but we are are far from hitting the records we did before. We want to break those. After all, we do this every year to help really sick kids and have some fun doing it. But as I said, we need your help to do so.

If you would like to help us, you can do so by either clicking the "Make a Donation" button on the thermometer icon or clicking "donate" on our team page. As always, Extra Life is run by the Children's Miracle Network and everything goes to the cause. So thank you in advance, and see you out in the games.

Crossing Souls (PC) Review

This game is a trap, and I fell for it. Last year when I was doing the 100 Days of Gaming, I set aside Fridays to play demos of games that looked interesting. At the time I got my first taste of this game... and after a meaty hour or so, I wanted more. Suffice it to say, it wound up in my collection and before too long, the dice selected it as my next game to play. I was excited. But sadly, this game is pretty front loaded, and by the time you reach the second half, you've pretty much had all the "good parts."

Silent Descent (PC) Review

I'm going to be honest with you. This game did not open itself up with the best first impression. It promised to be a psychological horror and the trailer suggested that you would spend your time investigating a haunted house. The title screen looks good enough once you loaded it up, but starting your game leads to a relatively lengthy loading time only to hit another one seconds later as the opening video finishes playing. And the game itself has no instructions or way to even look at your controls, leaving you to wonder how to even really begin. And on top of all this when the game actually starts, it is not what is promised. But this is also one of those titles where I have urge you to read on and have patience with it's akward start, as there is definitely something great beneath this grit.

Stranger Things 3: The Game (PC) Review

When Netflix Announced Stranger Things Season 3, I was hyped up. I have absolutely loved this show from beginning to end, but this time was a little different. Along side the show, we were told we would be getting a retro-style game which would "reveal more" of the story as well as let you play through the main events you will see in the show. I knew I was in from the word go, but I also knew I didn't want to do it till after I finished the show itself.

This proved a wise decision as the game is VERY faithful to the original material and many a spoiler is found there... and as a result, there may be a fair few here as well. You have been warned.

Windows 1.11 (Stranger Things) (PC) Review

I don't think I'm doing anything more then stating the obvious, but Stranger Things is an AWESOME series. When it was only going to be a single season show, that season came in with a bang and is arguably one of the best released on Netflix ever. So of course, they bought a few more to be produced. And this year, we got season 3.

But this time, we got more then just a show. Rather, two video games came out along side it, promising more insight and fun for the fans. The big game released is, like the season itself, named simply Stranger Things 3, which is basically available for all major gaming platforms. And I do plan on getting to this myself.

However, today we are looking at the "other" game. This one is a PC exclusive which Microsoft only hinted at as a simulator for their original launch of Windows and dropping it for free when the show aired. I could not resist this small detour.

Corpse Party: Book of Shadows (PC) Review

If you remember our 24 hour run for Extra Life 2017, you know I finished Corpse Party over that amazing night. But even then, I understood it was only the first of several titles, if titles that were only available in Japan. But that changed last year when this direct port from the PSP release dropped on PC. I knew I was going to get my hands on this as I really enjoyed the original. But this time would be a quite different experience.

I knew it would be, though. The trailer made it obvious that I was about to walk into a game less like the original which felt like it was made with RPG Maker, and more of a point-and-click/object hunting affair. To be honest, that sounded interesting, for while things like chase scenes may have to be removed, the potential to show off the world of Heavenly Hosts would go absolutely off the charts. So it would soon enter my library. What did I think? Well, let's just say the original was a much better game.

DarkStar One (PC) Review

 
Sometimes, you really do just need to play something different. Having just finished with several smaller games, I was ready for something bigger and I hadn't done much with real space flight sims... ever... so what the hell, why not? I am SO glad I took this chance.

Extra Life Update

Hi everyone. This is not going to be a long post, but as the year moves along, so does the big event so it's time for an update.

On the large scale, a lot has been going on already. The biggest event outside of the main marathon took place about a month in Florida, and while I wasn't able to watch the stream this year, ExtraLife United is a weekend-long marathon all it's own. With 250 gamers local competing to bring in prizes to the hospitals they are playing for, it is an epic event to witness, giving a face and place to the reason we do this every year.

In addition to this, PAX East has recently come and gone, and with it a drive for gamers to join up and be a part of the event. This may not sound like a lot, but when they get over 1000 new members to join up, that has promise to push what we can do in total even further! (And if are going to beat last year's total, we need that boost.)

And finally locally we have hit our own first milestone at $100 raised. Not a lot I know, but a first milestone should be noted, as well as the regular team starting to band together on our own page. So lets keep pushing forward! We CAN have an even better year then last!

Sources:

• Extralife.childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org: Boston Guild's Volunteerism at PAX East Sets a New Extra Life Record

Scanner Sombre (PC) Review

And once again, we finish another game picked up by the monthly bundle. At the time, I saw the trailer and while I wasn't entirely sure what to make of it, I knew it looked absolutely GORGEOUS. It had a hint of fear, suggested heavy exploration, but all in a technicolor word we could only partly see but managed to look hauntingly and achingly beautiful.

But does the game live up to that first impression? Let's find out.

A Bird Story (PC) Review

Here is an odd one to pull out from the backlog. It is not a game I picked up so much as came in as part of a humble bundle, but I decided to keep it at the time. And as I finished up The 11th Hour, I decided it might be time to play with something known to be just pure chill. And while this is far from my normal fair of game, I'm glad I took the time with it.

The 11th Hour: Sequel to the 7th Guest (PC) Review

I remember when I found out this game was coming out. Already a huge fan of the 7th Guest, I just couldn't wait for the next time I would get to run around Henry Stauf's mansion and through another tail of deamonic horror. So I eagerly awaited the chance to pick it up as soon as I could get my hands on it... and for the first time, my good old 486 was simply not good enough to play. It had the specs, but the game for some reason would only run in black and white. Disappointed, I put the game away...

Until my next PC (a Pentium II) would be more then beefy enough to play with it several years later. But by this time, I was already playing other games that would become all time favorites like the original Deus Ex, Descent 3, and System Shock 2. So it would fall to the wayside uncompleted. And there it would remain: just a set of discs in a "book" that would remain on my shelf for many years and even through two moves. But lately, I've been itching to take it on like unfinished business. So I opened up that old dusty book and popped disc 1 in. Welcome back Mr. Stauf... my how we've missed you.

Hyper Light Drifter (PC) Review

Don't trust big-site reviewers... ever. This game was rated very high across the board, but for the life of me, I can't begin to understand why. I have played as long as I could honestly give a damn, but I've officially run out of fucks to give about this one.

GhostDream (PC) Review

This is arguably one of the weirdest games I've ever played. Disjointed, intentionally obscure, and just plain strange, I would half expect this to be the contents of a haunted game cart you might read or hear about if you are the type to enjoy CreepyPasta.As a side note, this feeling was not helped when due to recent changes to how Steam does things, I honestly could not track how I got my hands on it. But for all the weird vibes this game gave off, was it worth taking some time with, or would I be better off expecting some Japanese ghost climbing through my monitor to take me out of this world? Let's find out.

Shadowgate: MacVenture Series (PC) Review

Now here's a game I have a lot of history with. I couldn't have been any older then 8 years old when I saw a guide and maps to to start you off in Nintendo Power, and I don't think I poured over any magazine page as much as this. And by my next birthday, my parents came through and I had a new game to play. I absolutely loved every moment of my adventures. So when I found out that getting the 2014 remake at launch included this version as a bonus, I was definitely interested in giving it a shot. After all, this is where the NES version got all its awesomeness!

And while that may be true, it did not come without some very rough edges the NES version spared me of back in the day.

Phantasy Star (Wii) Review

This is a milestone game for me. Ever since I discovered Phantasy Star II on the Sega Smash Pack I was instantly a fan. Over time I would continue to play and love everything I could get my hands on for the series, including Phantasy Star 3, 4, Online, Portable (1 and 2), and even Universe and 0. And while I did not finish everything, I always found the first title elusive to even get my hands on… until now.

Bioshock 2 (PC) Review

And once again, we put down the mouse on a game that has sat in my backlog for years. In fact this game sat on my backlog for almost a decade after getting it dirt cheap. At the time I had just finished the previous game and decided it wasn’t so much bad as I was disappointed with the developer repeating themselves… so to get more on the cheap? Why not? So I picked it up and let is sit around to play “one day.”

Sadly, it didn’t work out, as this game is just broken… too broken to enjoy.

2018 is over. Extra Life 2019 begins!

Well, I’m sure you knew this was coming, and while I did take a few days to myself at the beginning of the year, I wasn’t going to make you wait long. If you look to the side of this page, you will see the new thermometer for the new year is up, and that means so is the Red Sector Extra Life team! Come see what the fun is about and help us help the kids in another amazing year! (If you didn’t know 2018 reached $13,000,000, toping every year of the event so far! That’s right, all 8 of them!) But 2019 should be made something special as this is the 10th year of the event! Let’s give’m hell (to help the kids)!

Come on in! You can join up to the event at www.extra-life.org and be a part of one of the best ways to use your hobby to help the kids!

And thank you, for everything so far, and all that is to come!

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC) Review

Here we have an older game that fans of will forever love to their dying day, claiming it as a hidden gem in the PC gaming world. Seeing people loving it, I wanted to give it shot myself, but sadly, I think this is simply a game that isn’t for me. Add to this some serious bugs and, this was simply never meant to be.