Category Archives: Games

Bold Return to Retro Gaming – ‘Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon’

Image July 7, 2018 Manic Exorcism Leave a comment

Remember back when we were kids and couldn’t wait for the weekend? School would let out and the homework could wait because we had some serious business to attend to! We would rush home Friday afternoon with the high-octane fueled anticipation to take that hallowed trip to the Video Rental of our choice. There our little minds would overload with the colorful options within our reach. Each of those boxes were awash with sights and wonder, tempting our minds and inspiring our awe.

We’d obsess over the video game isle just trying to pick the absolute best one to fill our upcoming weekend with! So many options, always too many for our parent’s wallets to endure. I remember picking out a game and then spending the next 48 hours with my cousin as we battled our wits and will through NES classics such as Ghost ‘n Goblins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Battletoads, and Castlevania.

Castlevania is my favorite game franchise. I have returned to those games more times than I wish to admit just for another chance to traverse the lonely countryside to slay the hellish denizens of Count Dracula. I’m still as spell-bound by the series as I was back then, and sadly, there’s not really been a new game to excel the franchise as it deserves to be.

Thar’s why I’m very happy to introduce you to this Kickstarter success! Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is the perfect combination of all of our favorite 8-bit memories. It’s the soul-successor to the Castlevania series, and honestly, I feel the two exist in the same universe. The game sports some beautiful graphics with a retro flair, a haunting old-school soundtrack, and gameplay that’s easy to learn and proves to be a determined challenge.

In the spirit of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, the game allows players to enlist the support of companions who join your quest to slay demons. Each character is armed with their own weapons and skills which you will need to use interchangeably as you further your journey into the blackening heart of darkness.

I just picked up the game this week and all those old memories of getting lost in a new game flooded over me. If you are a fan of old-school games and if you grew up loving Castlevania, then this is the game for you. With multiple endings to choose from, BCotM boasts lots of replayability.

It’s available now for PS4, Nintendo 3DS, Switch, PSVITA, Xbox ONE, and Steam.

I had to take a break from playing it to let you guys know how much fun this has been. Darkness awaits and it’s time to remind the Night why it should fear us.

For more information please visit their website:

http://curseofthemoon.com/en/

Cool shit to buy, Games

Live Your Favorite Moments From ‘Friday the 13th’ With New Single Player Update!

Image May 29, 2018 Manic Exorcism Leave a comment

When it comes to slasher cinema one franchise defines the genre as a definitive whole. That would be none other than the slasher-film maestro, Friday the 13^th.

Growing up nothing was more synonymous with blood-curdling horror than a simple hockey mask. That mask became the unfeeling and inhuman visage of violent rage and unrelenting terror. It captivated our generation’s imagination and we couldn’t get enough Jason!

33850520_2069426620045451_7769412284446670848_n — image via PSN Manic Exorcism

Then our dreams (or nightmares) came true. We were given a chance to visit Crystal Lake thanks to Nintendo. We could finally face off against our favorite killer. Sadly the game didn’t meet up with people’s expectations, but many of us still loved it. Even to this day it holds a special place in our hearts. Yet we needed a damn upgrade.

33964145_2069325726722207_917057654650568704_n — image via PSN Manic Exorcism

We wanted to explore the sets from each movie. We wanted to explore each cabin and snoop around the Jarvis house. Well finally someone did something about that and brought to life a game all horror fans dreamt of! Gun Media and IllFonic gave us the frightening chance to explore Crystal Lake with the Friday the 13^th The Game.

Not only that but we wanted to be Jason. We wanted to step behind that mask and recreate the famous kills seen in the movies. Once again, the masterminds behind the game’s production have made that possible. As you can see from my screenshots, this game lets us become Jason himself.

33401573_2066688890319224_6529948125128294400_n — image via PSN Manic Exorcism

Now is the time to jump in the game. Thanks to the latest update gamers can now explore the films like never before. With the highly-anticipated Single-Player Challenges, you will stalk through ten different stages as the iconic masked killer. If you’re familiar with the game already you’ll know it’s praised for its elaborate kills. Already many of the famous murders straight out of the franchise have been employed to great effect.

https://youtu.be/6lhnnak6fMk

However, there was still so much more to be explored as this latest update proves. Providing newer kills at our fingertips and story-set ups taken from our favorite horror series, this is the definitive retro horror experience.

Single-Player Challenges

These Challenges bring the movies all to life.

As Jason, you will need to use stealth and cunning as you hunt down each unsuspecting camper and greet them with a messy, messy fate. One of my personal favorites happens early on and involves a wood chipper. A mother-fucking woodchipper! Buah ha ha ha!!! You’re gonna love it. Another great one introduces someone’s stupid face to the business end of a boat propeller. Oh, it gets nice and messy around here, my ghastlies.

I was laughing like a proper psychopath and worried my roomies.

33769728_2069325773388869_452113902826684416_n — image via PSN Manic Exorcism

Each Challenge will judge your gameplay based on whether you get noticed by the campers, whether anyone escapes and whether you meet the score criteria. Each success you achieve will open new emotes for your favorite campers in online play.

Overall this update offers plenty to keep fans cheering for a long time. I’m never disappointed with what this team has been giving us. This is what happens when fans are in charge of a project. So while we may not have a new Friday the 13th film, we can relive the movies now like never before.

33712172_2069311586723621_2591704698016759808_n — image via PSN Manic Exorcism

So do yourself a big favor and step onto some of horror’s most sacred hunting grounds and experience the movies you’ve loved in a whole new way.

Live Your Favorite Moments From 'Friday the 13th' With New Single Player Update! — image via PSN Manic Exorcism

Friday the 13th is available for PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One.

This has been Manic Exorcism and I’ll be catching you later.

Games, News

Rebooted ATARIBOX Now Atari VCS, Revealed With New Details

Image March 21, 2018 Patti PaulterGeist Leave a comment

Visions of nostalgic 8-bit asteroids are dancing in my head. The glorious wooden beast of retro gaming is back with a vengeance. Behold, the Atari VCS!

Growing up in the 80’s, chances are the Atari 2600 was the first gaming system to sit alongside your Sony STR-414L AM/FM Program Receiver and massive wooden console TV. And even more probable was the fact it was a shared toy between you and your siblings, resulting in arguments over who had first play dibs on Haunted House. Which, in turn, may have resulted in you throwing that heavy as a bag-of-kitty-litter-lumpy shit joystick (at least it felt that way anyway) at your little brother’s head after he threw one of his obnoxious tantrums, thus winning the first round of 8-bit gameplay.

Or, maybe that was just me. Eh, I’m sure you guys have similar stories too.

In any regard, the Atari console is the epitome of gaming nostalgia and with news coming last year on the half retro console, and half modern platform reboot of the system releasing for public consumption soon (or so we thought), all the sweet smells of that joystick rubber grip came flooding back like a waterfall of E.T. cartridges hitting the city dump. With a delay back in December of this anticipated console for retro gamers, earlier this week at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, a proper name was given to Atari’s dive back into the gaming market. Behold, the Atari VCS!

Image via cnet.com

While most of the details surrounding the modern-looking childhood relic remain somewhat of a mystery, we did get a look at the two controllers that will be available with the system (seen above). While one resembles the original stick of turmoil with a modern twist, the other mocks an X-BOX feel. Which I would assume would make gameplay just a tad easier. Hey, it’s what we’re used to these days, am I right? In addition, Atari did say that the Atari VCS will be built around a custom Radeon GPU and will be capable of running Linux offering an array of classic Atari games along with a “new video computer system to change the way you interact with your TV, just as the original Atari 2600 Video Computer System first did more than 40 years ago.” via Forbes.

Whatever that means…

Other than that vague explanation from Atari reps, an announcement will be made sometime in April on pre-order dates, and hopefully, some more details on this mysteriously modernized wooden-top piece of gamer fuzzies.

Stay tuned…