The Game That Changed My Life

Everyone out there has a spark of inspiration, even if it is in the most menial ways. Maybe a book you’ve read made you a better person, or maybe it has influenced you to some extent. My biggest inspirations as a kid have always been the role models around me, perhaps none more-so than my grandmother who had bared a massive amount of weight from our family, as she really was the glue and mortar that kept us all in line. Sure she had her issues, and some more than others, she managed a cemetery for a good chunk of her life, and it is a tough business to keep like that working all-the-time. Most times it didn’t. Growing up surrounded by gravestones leaves me less frightened of graveyards, and more a peace with them. One of the most beautiful cemeteries I’ve ever been able to walk through was Moravian cemetery. It is famous for its beauty, and also made popular in many of Paul Zindel’s novels, such as the Pigman series. So when people learn more about me, they think of me as less macabre, more dorky, nerdy, comic-book reading, etc. When I really do partake in occasion the comic book medium, I much rather leisurely read a book (one I am reading now is On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I’ve had it for a few years, but finally decided to sit down and start reading it, and I can say so far it isn’t as trashy as I expected it to be. That of course can all change after the first fifty pages.) I never really had a problem with the dead, I always respected their honesty, and admired their determination, because it seems no matter how long they remain dead, they never attempt to return, that takes a lot of dedication. I of course joke, and in good humor, not with malice, but that is my point, the dead are at peace, they don’t have the worries the living are burdened with, they always have to get somewhere on time, which they rarely ever manage, and they are always rushing through to the next best thing, rather than admiring the things in front of them that could very well be the best experiences of their lives. This is my point, we really don’t stop at times to admire the smaller, perhaps, older and more interesting moments in life, and I don’t believe we should wait until we’re dead to start thinking, so I am going to tell you how one game changed my perception on philosophy, thought and tastes, especially in the aspect of how incredible a medium such as video games can go. I will admit that today there are far greater examples, and done in a much timelier fashion, but few have touched me as an individual as deeply, especially the plot. Silent Hill 2, perhaps the pinnacle of the series, and I will admit the best Silent Hill to date, including the third game and Silent Hill: The Room. Although Silent Hill 3 is the closest to the original game, that is, when it comes to storyline, that doesn’t necessarily make it a great game. Now, unlike past game reviews, I am not going to actually be reviewing Silent Hill 2. If you haven’t played the game yet, the HD collection is out, but I heard the people over at Konami screwed it up, so pick up the original if you want a great game experience. It would be nice to give your PS2s and Xboxes some love too, so go try Silent Hill 2, it is most definitely worth your time, even if the game’s as dated as Donkey Kong. First off, the story is just so Japanese, and I mean that in the highest regard. The story about James Sutherland and his wife Mary, who has been dead for years, but writes him a letter to meet him in a town called Silent Hill is absolutely incredible. It shows that from the beginning this game is not your typical horror, and up until this point, movies like the Grudge, or Ju-on the original version were scarcely seen in American households. Truth-be-told at the beginning of the 21st century, the Japanese culture and entertainment industry was probably limited to most Americans, except maybe for knowing that the movie the Magnificent Seven was based after Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece: Seven Samurai. Japanese horror is ridiculously based on the senses, rather than gore. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of gore in this game, but it is more suggested than brutishly shown in odd camera angles. What is eerie about this game more is the humanity behind it, and the fact that it is dealing with such unique issues that tend to hit the emotions of the player just as hard as the fears. Sure we can talk about the clunky controls, but this is an appreciation editorial post, not a semi-objective review article. Let’s continue with the story: The idea that James Sunderland is simply out to find his dead wife waiting for him on Toluca Lake in the middle of Silent Hill is one of passion, and the idea that the sexual suggestiveness of the characters/monsters involved delves more into the routes of serious philosophical and psychological discussion. The emotional dread the main characters feels is from such a traumatizing event, that we get the sense of the sinful acts with mere silhouettes of the man’s past. It is brutal, and yet intelligently written. The game is artwork in motion, and nearly captures all the makings of a pure horror classic. For years I have tried to truly unmask the deep-rooted details of this game, as so many online and in video game articles have picked and picked at this game, trying to truly understand it, and the truth is, you don’t have to fully grasp the game to get the meaning, the true meaning that it is our own psyche that decides how Silent Hill progresses. Yes, we play through the eyes of James Sunderland, but really, we are all still metaphysically trying to grasp the meaning of Silent Hill for ourselves. We get two stories when playing a Silent Hill game, especially in the second title: and that is the story of the individual character who must trek through the game, trying to deal with their own twisted demons mapped out by the designers and writers, but really it is also a sort of psychological test, one that plays on all the human emotions, and the heightening senses of the gamer, which makes them all have a unique experience that no one else can have, simply by testing their own psyche. Even the music is eerily intelligent by Akira Yamaoka, who has done such astounding work on all the titles, I bought Homecoming just to hear the soundtrack. I truly wish he would compose for more games, then again, I kind of wish he would compose for all games. Yet the music is a psychological power trip of the mind, it doesn’t just play to the setting of Silent Hill 2, it is an auditory representation of the entire game, and without it, the game is merely a linear experience. With the sound and music promptly blaring through the speakers, this game could’ve been a two dimensional tabletop Atari game, and you would still wet yourself from sheer terror. I love the music so much for all the games, that I truly believe you are not a real gamer if you don’t love Melissa Williamson’s “You’re Not Here” opening for the third game, which plays to that eerie little preview of the horrors waiting those who await taming the third game. The music, the sights, and the controls are a bit juxtaposed, but they all manage to work in a way that seems right. If the controls were better, I don’t think the immense fear of being nearly helpless in the game would shine through. Sure frustration is another way of describing the said controls, but it is the lack of mobility that makes the game even that much more realistic. Silent Hill is about a lose/lose situation, because you know that there can be no winners in a psycho-fiction such as this game, which truly very few can understand. Unless you’re s psych major, or you just happen to dabble in Jungian theory, the game is a mere misunderstanding for most, but it catches the mainstream by being about a husband who will do anything for his wife…anything. The truth is, the game can have millions of theories, most of which can come from scholars, and most of them will never even think to take into account that this was just a mesh of all the right things happening at once, without a hinder to story, and more importantly to the side puzzle that give you no break from the action or the fear, because the side puzzles and riddles to advance you are so well thought-out and well written, some are poems, some are songs, and some are removing very suggestive disgusting things in order to get to say a key, or to find a latch. Truly Silent Hill 2 is frightening all the way through, and that’s why it had changed my life in so many ways. In-truth, I don’t think any series, not even my beloved Dead Space series has come even remotely close to being of the pinnacle of “survival” ( or in this case “no survival”) horror. The problem with all this, and most of you will understand is that it is not a game that is easily a mainstream game, not for the Mom and Pop horror fans that think the best way to spook people is to have a CGI monster come popping out of the cellar door, or closet, morgue, etc. This game was far too intelligent for such cheap scares, and the fact that there are bosses just sitting there, not some great cinematic sequence to have them pop out at you, it is stunningly more frightening to just be walking and bam! Here comes Pyramid head to get you. If I were to ever take over the Silent Hill franchise, which is on its last leg, and has too much Western influence (I am not painting a great argument am I?) but I would not try to make a Japanese game, nor would I try to make a Western, Eastern or even some fantastic game based into some historic culture. I would simply make a game. The story would be the background, the controls would be a bit clunky, but I wouldn’t allow for anything that wasn’t feasibly impossible to connect with, they would be mediocre at best, at least to the degree needed to make the game more menacing than frustrating. Remember, Amnesia, an amazing game that didn’t even have a button to attack with was one of the best horror games to come out in ages. Basically, the game had to play to the senses, and it doesn’t have to look pretty, but it also doesn’t have to look gritty, an ad hoc cookie cutter “noire” game. If you have to call something noire, it isn’t noire, just so you developers out there understand it’s not a new idea. I’d want some psychological issues thrown in, but not necessarily ones that take away from slight humor, or even double entendres that will be crucial to the game, and I’m not talking about Nathan Drake asinine clichéd humor, but intelligent, but not something that sounds like stuck-up elitist humor, or intellectual monopolizing. The game just has to be a game, something that scare the holy shit out of the gamer, and also makes them feel empathy for the characters. These are the type of ideas that are not revolutionary, they are instilled in Silent Hill 2, even add in some dark comedy and malcontent from characters like Angie(?) (Might be Angela) and Eddie, who truly are more representations of individual pieces of James’s personality, but really they are manifestations made by Silent Hill itself. Let’s not even get into all the sexual connotation’s behind Pyramid Head, in what he represents to James, because that could be an entire blog post on its own. Yet, Pyramid Head is also proof positive that Silent Hill 2 is much, much deeper than the average psychological thriller, and that people and pick away for years over the actual meanings behind the game. A good example is to call it the “Eraserhead” of video games, but I would say it is much more than that, because the Silent Hill 2 does have a deep-rooted meaning, not just wishy-washy symbolism with no intent or purpose. Now, I did promise to explain a bit on how exactly this game changed my life to some extent, and I will tell you how: it proved to me that horror writing is so difficult to do, because most horror doesn’t actually involve horror being at the forefront. If I haven’t had played this game when I was young, about fifteen or sixteen, I would still be thinking of writing ultra violent, ultra bloody, over-the-top nonsense found in most horror stories that suck. Silent Hill 2 has made me a better writer in many ways, and it has made me know that fear itself is the encroaching death, not the act itself. This is so true too, because it isn’t the end-process of death that we fear, we do not fear corpses, well, not normally, but the idea of being a corpse, or the inevitable fact that the situation we are placed in, will lead to us then being a corpse. That’s why we fear more the monsters outside our windows, or under our beds, or creeping up from behind us more than we fear them once they are already chewing on our carcasses. I believe deep down that the fact this game made you not want to explore the town, especially since most of the game is masked in a dead fog, which to me is far more frightening a weather pattern than any other (except maybe tornadoes and hurricanes) but the fact that it played on those primitive fears, where a white out forces you to walk blindly into the unknown, and hope that a dog or a demon, or some estranged monster wasn’t lurking within the blanketed white. I would also like to add that the radio was a genius trick to add in, and warned you of a nearby presence throughout the game. This idea was very original, and it inspired me to think that cliché nonsense wasn’t all you needed to perpetuate an idea to the mainstream. This game was perhaps one of the biggest selling games of the year, I would say it outdid many of its competitors, especially Resident Evil’s Code: Veronica X. Having a belief that most Resident Evil titles after the first two were more action games than survival horrors, I believe that Silent Hill even today is still the boss of all other survival horror titles, and will go down as a legitimate game to play for decades. Silent Hill 2 proved to me that fear can be done in a mature, intelligent way that makes horror almost noteworthy, especially in a world full of such nonsensical fodder that we call “horror” and “science fiction”. Despite all the flaws with the game, and the outdated graphics, which really are still a lot nicer, and at times more effective than some of the graphics of the previous console generation. Moreover, the game is still quite a massive achievement for its time. Luckily, the Silent Hill saga has been re-released as a DLC HD edition, and though the game has been tweaked to include new voice-acting, the games are still relevantly left alone. Konami should not ever allow Americans to create another Silent Hill game, and I believe the end of the series was after Silent Hill 3. This may sound prejudice, racist, or at the very least insensitive, but the cultural differences, despite our current love with Japanese society and their food, entertainment, etc. does not make us experts in the field of their style of horror and psychological thrillers. Despite all temptation to go-ahead and re-purchase the HD versions of the PS2 Silent Hill games, I decided to not pay these fools money, and play them still on my Playstation 2. If I could say anything else about this game, and why it means so much to me, you may ask why is this such an important matter? I mean, it’s just a game, right? Something to entertain you, but I will admit it can be a lot more than just that. I agree with the consensus that a game\ game is a game, especially during the Playstation 2 era, but games have become in-a-way more like films, and written to be more thrilling, more action-packed, and far-more dramatic than television or film. Unlike any other medium, I believe when you become invested in a character, but more-often invested in a storyline, you are entranced in that storyline for all your years, in some ways as an immediate embellishment in that world, and later on as a musing that comes up in nostalgia, and you recall the fun times of those years, and everything with them. In-truth, I try my best to always look at the future, especially with so many people rooted in the past, but with this game, I stop and think back to a time when I could play a game, and it helped me get through the an time when our country was just about to change indefinitely. You see, Silent Hill was the last game I bought around the time the Twin Towers were attacked on 9/11, which I believe the imagery is still instilled in the last generation’s minds. Perhaps the horrors became a bit more real with me because of such a trauma, or maybe it was eerily reminiscence of the psyche that was to come for months after the attack, that we truly are all trapped in this sickening hell that only we can release ourselves from. Even now, the game brings back a loss of hopelessness that was rarely seen in games past. The idea that you are in a lose/lose situation all the time, the idea that the power normally instilled in players to finish a game and get a happy ending is taken away, and even though this game has about four endings, which includes a comic relief ending that I will not ruin, but can be found in its entirety on any video-sharing website of your choice, so you can go see it yourself if you’d like. Thank you for reading the Malacast Editorial, all specific editorial posts are of the opinion of the individual, and does not reflect the opinion of any other blogger that posts and/or contributes to the Malacast Editorial. If you would like to, you can follow now follow Malacast Agent, and see the newest updates to the Malacast Editorial on twitter: twitter.com/mcasteditorial, or @mcasteditorial. Again, thank you for reading the Malacast Editorial, and have a good day.

The Last of Us Review

The Last of Us is an Playstation 3 exclusive game developed by Naughty Dog, creators of the Uncharted series, and all the original Crash Bandicoot titles. Naughty Dog are also the developers behind the PS2 hit series Jak and Daxter. The Last of Us, which is a noire game that relies on stealth, skill, and the art of deception, is based all across the U.S., starting in Texas, where we first meet the main character, Joel, and his younger brother, Tommy. From here-on, the story unfolds, unobtrusively through little tidbits on what is happening, and turning the residents of the city and surrounding suburb into killers and monsters. You start the game off playing as Sarah, awaking from bed to find that something seems a bit off, but nothing yet seems out-of-place. Sarah then searches for her father, Joel, and goes about the house looking for him. Like most games of this current generation, you can basically enter every single room in the house, and are rewarded for exploring with little hints as to what you will be expecting later on in the game. T his of course makes it also seem like one continuous tutorial for a good portion of the game, which is eerily similar to what one can expect from most current generation titles. Sarah finds her father as she walks through what appears to be a study, as he just came back in through the glass doors, practically out-of-breath from checking on the neighbors. They appear to have gone hysterically violent for some odd reason, as one of them breaks in, and Joel is forced to put a bullet into him to save himself and his daughter. From here, they both run out the front door, and meet up with Tommy, and peel off to escape from the outskirts of the city. This turns out to be a bad idea, as most of the entire state have decided on evacuating the same way, so they are forced to escape down a more dangerous route. All this time, you are playing spectator as Sarah, as she can turn about in the SUV, able to witness the carnage all around the vehicle, in a deceptively secure backseat. This idea makes the game that much more terrifying, being that you play a young scared child, who is watching all the terror unfold. Truthfully, the whole prologue is more an observation than actual game play, yet it is a real treat to watch the spectacle unfold. After turning around, Tommy, who is driving the jeep/SUV, heads down a side street, trying to find an alternate route, especially after seeing an “infected” person attack a bystander. Cutting through people, a car sideswipes the SUV, and knocks them over. From here-on-out, you control Joel, as you carry Sarah away from the infected, and escape through an alleyway. Joel cuts through a path into a clearing, but is halted by military personnel, that want him to turn back to the quarantine zone. He refuses, as the MP raises a gun and shoots, Joel turns away, as Tommy; who appears just in-the-nick-of-time, and incapacitates the MP. Joel looks down at his daughter and sees that Sarah is hit by the shot, killing her in a very dramatic, heart-wrenching scene.That is where the game officially begins. The Last of Us, which I expected to be a game full of running and gunning, but in-fact is more apt to be based on stealth, and in some cases nearly forces you to use stealth in order to get past particular sections. I was quite impressed by how the game presents itself, as a very original style of game play which I have yet to see much of outside of the realms of the Uncharted series. You can blatantly see where Nathan Drake’s adventure is an influence on the parkour-like game play. Even Joel bares a shocking resemblance to Nathan Drake, who has that very rugged, athletic look. Following the prologue, the game begins twenty-years-after the events of the first signs of outbreak, and Joel finds himself working as a smuggler with a possible lover/compatriot named Tess, moving illegal contraband throughout a Quarantine Zone in Boston Massachusetts. From here on, there is a bit more tutorial, particularly in climbing, moving objects to reach a difficult area, and shooting and melee. There are even parts of the game where you can make moral decision, like help a person trapped under rubble, or put them out of their misery by shooting them in the head. Despite the game having an M rating, which mostly comes from the colorful language used between all the characters, the blood itself is not obnoxious and overly gory…well for my standards, but that doesn’t mean the game isn’t brutish in its kills, which it most certainly is, and why it deserves the M rating. Also, it’s about the gore you don’t see, which makes the game even that much more disturbing for some. After getting down the basics, and chasing down another smuggler named Robert, who has their armaments; Tess and Joel meet up with a woman named Marlene, the leader of a resistance group known as the Fireflies, who are attempting to be rid of the virus that acts very much like protozoan to their host, turning them into mindless zombies. She asks to have Joel and Tess move a young girl named Ellie, who is fourteen, and looks to have a secret hidden away that could play out to be a serious plot point later on in the game. Marlene, who has stolen a cache of weaponry from Joel and Tess, apparently from a man who betrayed Tess, and previously shot earlier on in the scene, that she promises to give up the cache to them if they can safely move Ellie across to the capital building to meet up with another group of Fireflies. Accepting the task, mostly because they want to get their guns back, Joel and Tess take Ellie up to the Capital building, but find that the Fireflies have moved on, leaving them to ponder what to do with Ellie. Suddenly, a group of militants storm the capital building, surrounding the trio, and Tess is left to make the ultimate sacrifice, giving Joel and Ellie just enough time to escape, and head off, in-search to find the Fireflies, because Ellie reveals a major secret to Joel, which could change the fate of humanity, forever. Do they find the Fireflies? Is humanity changed forever? All this and more is answered in the game, and it is an enthralling tale to witness unfold, trumping many of Hollywood blockbusters in the process. Basically the Last of Us is a game that is about the codependent relationship between a middle-aged man who is dealing with the loss of his daughter, and a past that haunts him to the verge of losing his sanity, and a young girl who houses a secret that could be the fate-changing miracle for all of humanity, but it is much deeper than that, it excels as a grand story of survival, morality, and sacrifice. The story itself is nearly flawless, though I felt that writers could have explained a bit more about the plague itself, perhaps and origins point, but then again some things truly just come out of nowhere, without warning, or explanation, but I still felt it was a bit lazy on their part. Granted if you read every single piece of scrap paper and artifact/pendant you can find, it does explain a bit more, but I find reading on a television screen is not really the best way to explain your story. The game is also full of glitches, bugs, and feels more like the beta than the finished product. I am sure that game testers are getting lazier and lazier with each passing game, or they just don’t do their jobs well enough to catch the most obvious glitches. For example, there are times when I have found myself ghosting through walls, or seeing through the code of the world. I understand the game is quite large, and it is like a needle in a haystack for most games, being that none are ever perfect when they leave post production. Yet, I find the ones I have found are so obvious, that they could have been easily fixed without delay before it hit my home console. Granted, patches and updates will surely be out about the same day the game goes to the store, but for people who cannot constantly update their system, especially those without the luxury of Internet, surely they could have made a bit large effort to patch up the giant holes that are so obviously found by more than ninety-nine percent of the people who will play the game. Sure, I am a bit frugal about glitches, but I would feel in a day-and-age of high definition gaming, where it is nearly impossible to distinguish weather patterns from reality and virtual reality, there has to be a way to map out and eradicate most of the major bugs in any software release. Despite the bugs, glitches, and other discrepancies that are even smaller irks to mention, the game is stellar, one of the best games I have played this year, and although it is an exclusive game to Sony, it is one of the best games I have played on any console this year, and I have to say it is on par with some of the biggest game releases, including the likes of Bioshock: Infinite, and Dead Space 3, which had not been as critically acclaimed as it should have been. Nevertheless, I would like to just point out a few more issues before my final verdict: The graphics are amazing at times, and then they are dastardly trepid at others, almost yin-and-yang comparisons, which truly takes away from the experience at times, but it is more vanity than a technical error. The game is not running on fully 1080p, which to me is a drastic no-no for the end of a console cycle, the game should look nearly next gen, rather than earlier current gen. Overall, if you are a PS 3 owner, you are in for a treat if you decide to pick up The Last of Us, a game that is part survival horror, part stealth, and all heart. The game has g rand details, some of which could separate it from many other games of this current generation, becoming a staple in the aspect of details I expect to see further down the road with next-generation software. Most people laughed at me when I decided to go with the Playstation 3, over the Xbox 360 as my console of choice, and that is a fair argument to assume, but I have been astounded by the appeal of so many exclusive titles of Sony software, and know now that I had made the right decision. Sure the PS 3 isn’t perfect, but that’s technology for you: it never works perfect 100% of the time. You’re lucky if it works perfectly 75% of the time, but the games I have played on the PS 3 which have been amazing, and shows the powerhouse Sony has enveloped for nearly a decade. If I were to rate this game, I would do so by saying it was highly addictive, I did not want to stop playing, merely because once I was sucked in, the story enthralled me to the point of playing nearly eight hours straight, and I rarely do that, even with a long-awaited title. Also; I was extremely impressed by the showmanship of the story. It took me a bit to really get indulged, but one I was hooked, I could not believe the rate the story flowed. My suggestions for those who want to play the game, I would suggest turning on the subtitles, because even though I am a bit hard-of-hearing, personally I feel the voice actors speak a little bit low even for acceptably fair hearing to comprehend. Also, it was smart for them to build in the ability to skip the cut scenes, which this game has some long ones, not nearly as ridiculous as say Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, which has a cut scene that last nearly twenty minutes, but they are pretty damn long. I don’t have a proper rating system, but I would give the game a three-point-five out of five, or something like that, mostly because of the minor bugs, and the issues with the graphics, and the fact that there are only presets for the controller, I was upset I couldn’t configure the controls myself, but whatever, again a minor discrepancy as the controls are not horrid. Despite the flaws the game is one of the best, more original games I’ve played in a while, even if it shamelessly borrows from such influences as: The Grey, The Thing, The Walking Dead, Cormac McCarthy’s the Road, and even a bit of Red Dawn. The game is great, and I would recommend it to most fans of Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, the original Silent Hill series, and obviously Uncharted. Thank you for reading the Malacast Editorial, all Malacast Editorial pieces are the sole opinion of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Malacast Agent himself, or the opinions of any other contributors to the Malacast Editorial. If you would like to know when the Malacast Editorial is updated, you can find follow the feed on twitter: twitter.com/mcasteditoral, or @mcasteditoral. You can also befriend Malacast Agent on Facebook, at Malacast Agentt, that’s Agent with two ts because Facebook is too stupid to accept the fact that Agent could be a last name. Again, thank you so much for reading the Malacast Editorial, and if you want to leave a comment on a particular post, just click the bottom of that said post and leave your comment. If you have a general comment, you can leave it on Mal’s twitter page, or face book page, and he will attempt to answer back as promptly as possible.

Writing is a Chain of Failures

Man! I've written more today (on tablets and iPods) than I've ever written before in my life. I hate, hate, hate this new obsession with typing on invisible keyboards. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love to have the confidence of both my writing and the screen right next to each other, because it allows me to see what I. Typing quicker than say typing with a keyboard and a monitor. I do enjoy it at times, but I don't believe there is a love with this new style of writing.
  Don't worry guys, this post isn't about me complaining of writing on here, because I don't like whining, especially this sort of whining, childish because  I personally don't like it. So yes, this post is not about my malice towards screen keyboards, although I could speak volumes on the subject. No, I've been writing on this app I discovered called the pocket writer, or something along those lines. So I've been typing on my iPod for nearly half the day, and I finished two chapters in about an hour each, which for typing on that dreadful screen, isn't so bad.
 I've been trying to write more, even if it's extra blog posts, or even a few more tweets than normal. I've been a bit successful, having posted three blog posts on Friday, and this post being written for Monday.
 This post will probably play out all throughout my weekend,which is fine, because I love to type, I literally will let my fingers bleed, just because I love to write. However, I'm finding my time writing is not being properly spent on the correct writing, meaning I'm wasting precious time writing about what I should be keeping as side projects. So I counter that nonsense with an amazing ability to write out helpful hints, nod musings on writing,entertainment, and opinions on the decay, and/or triumph of the digital medium.
   The blog you're reading right now is perhaps one of the older blogs I've hosted, but it's the only one I've loved, and I'm proud of how far it come: an ebb and flow closing in, and around a decade. I love that it goes up and down in popularity, and time seeing as it always comes down to how many posts I can get done. The struggles of living in an area with limited internet access,not even limited bandwidth, but entire internet access is admonished for the sake of a beautiful landscape, I find that the full blog would suffer more if I actually wrote on it daily.
    Writing is supposed to be this great way of communication, and craft. However, you shouldn't take to writing simply because you  want to write. Also, know your audience. I know from just reading my stats, that my audience is very broad, and I'm not trying to brag, but I know they come here for either types on writing, a discussion on technology that is old before it's published, or on certain subjects, such as film editing, or publishing a story. Publishing is now easier than baking cupcakes. Then again, editing film is easier than actually writing a decent script, so what entails as simple today, was brutally harder but fifteen, even twenty years before.
      This may inevitably prove we are getting dumber, as a civilization, or we just know learning to control a computer today will be as simple as watching an online tutorial. All I know is the sanctity of writing,,especially on the said subject of technology, still requires a finesse that is not just simply learned, it comes from honing a craft, which no computer could replace. Writing is human soul placed on the canvas, and so designed that anyone who can read can understand, but the  symbolism, the use of said words, are what separate the regular poetic slobs that try to sound hip, and the true artists that are incredible, but faulty due to ego.
    I try to walk a thin line, because all potential writers, no matter how obscene or serene their work, must walk a line of absurdity, and allegorical,prose that mismatch befitting a conscientious writer, but doesn't hinder the mainstream readership. Everyday is a struggle, because I would love to display my vocabulary, but I know that many readers will feel abashed to pull out the dictionary,,meandering about until they discover the meaning of a thirty-five letter word.
 Also, I think that most vocabularies can be impressive, but style takes that straightforward education on language, and forms it into elegant prose that will capture the imagination of the populous.
    I write so much about writing, that I sometimes wonder if it's all just rehashing of old debates, nothing fresh, just dolled up and shipped out. Yet, the pressure we feel as writers, it can all feel like that old voice telling you that you're failing, again, and always, forever. Writing is a chain of failures, it's supposed to be a horrid, gut-wrenching rejection, after rejection, until you learn not to be rejected. Some people need years to learn this fact, others get it right the first time without hassle. Either way, no matter the person you may be, writing to hounds as precious as a grape is to the stubborn wine maker. You want to age your craft to perfection, with the least amount of batches wasted. Contrary to popular beliefs, you can only work on, and finish one project at a time, because you can't let a  book, or short story manuscript sit around, and hope it finishes writing itself. No, you have to sit, or stand, and write it out yourself. It's the only art form that requires your full attention through every step of the process to reach completion.
   
    To conclude; it is impossible just to think of writing as an art form, because it's so much more. Not to sound any more cliche, but writing, especially for those who want to sell that first book for whatever reason, should have a to. Of reading from many different writers under their belt. Why? Because it shows you 1: how great writers of the past have been successful, and 2: how you can avoid common errors, like writing outside your own style, or failing to show originality.

Thank you for supporting the Malacast Editorial, I hope you've enjoyed the last series of posts on writing. As mentioned in the previous editorials, I'll have several video game themed posts coming up, so to kill out the monotony, and of course, many more previews and reviews that will fit back into place with the blog.

As always: Twitter: Twitter.com/mcasteditorial
E-mail: mcasteditorial@yahoo.com

Editorial: Upcoming Posts, and A Quick Discussion on Bloggiing

First: an allusion to upcoming posts

Every single big move made in entertainment today seems to go in this abstract formulae that aggravates rather than innovates. For example, we know the biggest movie releases are going to suck so bad, that less than one percent of the U.S actually sees them. Yet movies that make so much money, never get the recognition they deserve. The joke is that most of these award ceremonies should be made for the entertainment that was the least entertaining.
  This is not always the case with video games: which normally receive accolades before they're even released to the general public.  Video games take years to make, and spend more time in post production (which can last forever, now that downloadable patches are inherently more accepted, than a scarce bandage for a rare bug or glitch) than any film, or television show. Video games have tons of awards, which act more as a rating system than some  glorified kiss-ass festival.          
   Games, no matter their genre, tend to be stocky, never really advertise far from what the market desires. When something noir, unique, or just plain wacky, it is now made into a new sub genre that creates a boatload of sequels.  I find that most games are far from actually being legitimate new. Not since the times of the fifth generation consoles, has there been a great deal of risk-taking games. I do believe that games are more innovative, in-terms of story, and the voice acting and sound effects are unparalleled to any major motion big budget film.
       I've mentioned this some time ago in a past blog post. I do enjoy reminiscing, I even have an upcoming blog post that I've spent a few hours on about two months back, solely based,on my love of one nostalgic game: Silent Hill 2. This game was the second one I bought for the Playstation 2, and I go into detail about the game.  For those who actually followed this blog for some time, they know that I write a ton of posts out, and put them up when applicable.  If I have the time, I'll occasionally write one out on a tablet (which I find irritably annoying) that usually gives me some time. I've written a great deal in the last five years, some of it I actually like, but I have very little to show for it, because I never take that next step.
      So I write this blog, and in the above paragraphs, I've started to discuss the change in the production of video games, which is quite obviously the most dynamic expenses of the medium. Production changes more often than the way it's coded and played. The biggest change for most video games in the last thirty years is that the remote had gone wireless and is nearly flawless. The remote hasn't changed in forever. I've written an article, entitled Peripheral Apocalypse, which I will also be putting up in the next couple of weeks. So I have a few posts that will come to fruition for the Malacast Editorial.  However, until those are applicable, here is my post for today:

      For bloggers, writing is essential, almost critical, when it can be done nearly every single day. I write nearly every single day, but I take a nice long hiatus when I'm nearing the end of a project. For example, I'm writing a novel right now, it's a futuristic Sci-Fi that I'm hoping to end at 180 pages. (Approx. 100,000 words plus) I'm at 100 pages currently, and I haven't touched it in a few weeks, probably about a month, month-and-a-half tops. I'll be finishing it up pretty soon, I just wanted to think of ways I could end the book that will both appeal to my readers, and satisfy my tastes. A lot harder than it sounds!
     Yet, most writers write what they want, which makes sense, but even I have to bite the metaphorical bullet at times, and actually write something I despise. This novel is more up my alley, and I think my readers who have read my fiction beforehand, will admire it greatly, because it goes well with my short stories, and a bit of my poetry.
  I take a long break in the middle or the end, because I'll jump right into the next novel the second I'm done with the current, literally just hours, or days after,,I take no time to rest.  This works for me, and seeing that this is the sixth manuscript I've written, I believe that it will be a standalone, I'm not too fond of serials, unless they're short, they literally follow one another, and they could be read individually, just in case someone picks them up in the wrong order. Sounds contradicting right? That's why it's tough, and I don't do it on average. I think when Stephen King opted to writ a sequel to The Shining ( the sequel is entitled Doctor Sleep) it was more an act to appease himself, and not necessarily the reader. Which is great! He has reached the pinnacle of his career that he could right the script to a porno, and it would be the most mainstream porno ever made. The man could write a book about two headed puppies from hell, and turn it into a number 1 best seller. I almost wish he trolls the market one day and writes a book about killer rhododendron. Or did he do that already?
  As writers, which we are, essentially, we blog either every day, or every week, depending on time management. So we kind of band together, like an online family of constructive critics, and most are,willing to help out their fellow blogger. Now because of independent publishing, we help each other, because of how marketing on each other's blogs help spread the word of our books, especially to potential audiences that might not have been reached before.
    My point is, we use this medium to discuss what we want about the subjects that get cloudy in other forums. However, blogging also allows us the opportunity to do some free marketing for our other ventures.  Anyway, before this post is completely wrecked, I'll end it here.

Thank you for supporting the Malacast Editorial, as always:

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Thank you again for reading the Malacast Editorial, it's much appreciated. I'll have a new post up for this upcoming Monday Blogs, if you follow me on Twitter.com, you'll know when The blog is updated. You will also be informed via e-mail whenever I release an E-book. I'll only inform those that are interested, so you can message me directly, or send me an E-mail.

Until next post, keep well, and enjoy your day, afternoon, morning, and night.

Is Technology Really the Most Important Educative Tool for the Future?

Is Technology Really the Most Important Educative Tool for the Future?

            People may believe in their hearts that humankind must have some basic fundamentally reason for existence, some main goal that needs to be completed in a lifetime, some even can stress the point further by saying we are all set down on this magnificent ball of flora and fauna to reign supreme in a growing light, outreaching to even the darkest of continents, and fend off the wild nature that is best in us all. Survival, that seems to be the stagnant answer humankind uses as the reason for our existence, the proverbial end-all-be-all for our reason to make stake on this planet. We are all here to work, be entertained, and go-about our daily lives in this belief that nothing is greater than the survival of the species in the never-ending, insurmountable string of hodgepodge chaos that is life.

            We are partly orderly, and wholly ascending to reach goals we have set out to gain, battling mentally across the vast plains to reach that pinnacle of greatness, the perfection we strive to all grasp, even if it means for just a stitch in the course of history. Most of us, sadly, never gain that notoriety, and those who do are swimming in a much larger pond, with albeit, much grander beasts than themselves. So how do we rely on an outlet for this natural instinct for achieving those unascertainable feats? Some think outside the box, and head towards the patent offices for pushing conglomerate variables into an invention to change the world. Others head off to higher learning, in-hopes the knowledge they can attain will then be used to cause wonder, and aspire them to new heights, mounting new frontiers, so they too can plant their hypothetic flags of new discovery among the peaks that make up the limitations of our world, enticing us that limits are truly in the imagination and ingenuity of the mystified gaze of the beholder. Some simply start a revolutionary blog, or website, and gain millions of followers who hold sacred the same values as those expressed, and others just get to talking to those with the know-how becoming public or silent partners.

            The ends the goals we set as men and women are basically the same ones we all attempt to meet in the modern world, those the variables of how we get there are as complicated as they are accumulative. We truly are an imaginative being, perhaps the most imaginative, and most skilled to twist the natural world around us to meet our needs. No other creature, not even in prehistoric times, has left such an extensive impact on the Earth, ever. We rival Mother Nature in her destructive, and creative force, we stand like gods over insects, and fight off bacterial infections, and virus plagues, all so we can expand our literal, and theoretical spheres of influence all about the continents, and we institutionalize our mediums at the forefront, never faltering from any form of suppression, or stifled from any hindrance.

            Our goals as the human race seem a bit trifle in the spectrum of history, as we were not the first dominator, and more-than-likely not the last, but we have overcome in our minute time is stellar, that we forget most great advancements come from the few, and are institutionalized by the many, and so it is true with one of our newest institutions: video game systems, and computers.

           

            Most serious tech aficionados will banter over whether-or-not video games are a seriously important use of technology, and most are fair in their debacle over this form of mass media outlet. Others might be confused at the intent of what the point this article is making: “why would someone try to link greatness of all of mankind’s atonements, including everything from aqueducts to space rockets, to something as laymen as video games? How does Pac-Man factor into the importance of  Man’s creations, such as the Apollo missions?”

            The truth is, I’m not saying that space exploration is any more-or-less important as Space Invaders, that is not the intent of this editorial. My core belief is that just like other forms of mass media, and I cannot stress this enough that video game systems as they are today are by-far one of the largest upcoming form of mass media, we do not initialize our use of it enough.

           

            I recall several editorials of the past, many stating that video games will be as frequent in the classrooms, as they are now in the living rooms and bedrooms of the modern home. Some have even stated that text and video, as it is literally today, will have the addition of interactive media, like video game software, to help explain, or even teach certain subjects. I’m not of the extremities of the above statements being truth, but what I do believe is that if this is to become a standard, and that people can start to gain the notoriety they so desire from simply downloading cloud software from the giant, infinite space that is the internet, or buying a hardcopy disc from a retail outlet, I find it quite interesting to see how it will be incorporated so demographics of all-kinds can understand just how to utilize such a technology in the education area.

            I’m not sure if I can picture a world where we rediscover history through a first-person perspective, where World War I is fought in over-and-over to help dignify further than text how brave men would gallantly cross over No-Man’s Land all to fight off the Kaiser’s advancements, dodging landmines and gunfire. I’m not sure a virtual envisioning of the signing of the Declaration of Independence through a first-person perspective would be enough to keep even the most drawl student enticed long-enough. What I can imagine is utilizing interactive virtual characters from history to explain, perhaps in their own words, or reenact their own lives out in some holographic, three-dimensional form, similar to something like the animatronics of the Epcot Center, or virtual reality  where the user enters the world for the first time through the courses of history as we’ve laid them out.

            Surely gathering up the letters of great historical figures, and turning those words into lectures and insight perhaps not easily taught in the main classroom could be interesting, if not ecstatic, but the time and resources to turn a medium into a way of inspiring the youthful masses to then turn imagination into future technologies seems cost-disruptive, and a basic waste of technology and funds. So can video games, or more precisely, interactive technology ever be utilized for more than just mere sophomoric entertainment? I believe it already has, and can be even further in the future.

            I am a gamer, it’s a label that I wear not so-much with pride, but with conviction. I believe video games are for more than just blasting unrealistic-sized holes into one’s enemies, and fighting off surreal space aliens on floating vessels, I believe they can have a bit of truth, but it is how you intend to use that truth. I feel games featuring famous historical figures are interesting, and can be made interesting to the masses, perhaps even teach people more than they’d expect from a few hours of ample game play. I believe we can also efficiently turn the same technology we have today, and in the speculated future into useful tools that can educate and entertain.

            In a world where high schools would rather teach students how to proficiently use skills to benefit them in the future, which is great, but to then cut out the teaching of important literature for twang, robotic writing, are video games going to be the last resort for imagination? Are we going to be limited by the choices we are given as to how the public education systems will teach in the twenty-first century? I say no! I say we can indoctrinate new styles of teaching, and still maintain the dignity we would expect from new-age ways of educating. It may perhaps even grow to further the education of the masses greater than the old system. I might understand humanity’s desire to complete unrealistic goals, even to at times complete some extraordinary feats, but lets all be reminded that Einstein had found most of his greatest discoveries while working in a patent office, and barely a college education under his belt. There was no television in his day, the radio was practically the biggest invention of his era when it came to mass media, and he did his best thinking while riding the trolley, and placing pen to paper.

            So is technology always the answer to the stifled minds of the generation who thinks them  the greatest yet to have come down the pipes? Perhaps not, but I find that we will strive for greatness, and not always some manufactured greatness of a new phone, or new application to be placed on that phone, but it will be spectacular, and change the course of history again, and I’m sure all that person will need to make such a discovery will only need be as technologically advanced as a pen, paper, and an extraordinary imagination.

  

Editorial: The Short-sided Opinion on the likes of DLC and Digital Distribution

The last time I checked, it was illegal to digitally downloaded material that was considered by the RIAA as "pirated" software. Recently, I've taken notice that many companies, big and small, are allowing free distribution of certain copyrighted materials, and are using the global marketplace as a think tank for freely marketing original content by struggling artists who are not getting the proper pay and to me this is promoting the very illegal distribution that so many feel hurts the entertainment industry. Sadly, you have to deal with contemporary mediums for outsourcing materials like new albums, digital books, and even podcasts in the form of free samples, which hardly ever help the "little guy/gal" indie entertainer. This mostly relates to advertisers taking hard-working entertainers to the cleaners more heavily than ever before.
In recent months, there have been so many digitally distributed resources for people to manage to transfer via the world wide net, that it is almost impossible to imagine there being any income or capital of any sort for the modern-day musician. The art is thrown around by mega structures, that the artist is starving more now than ever before. I am not talking about the likes of Lady Gaga, although she is digitally downloaded enough that she losses hundereds of thousands of monies from income, but her work is so wildly popular with the demographic, it becomes pennies on the dollar.
Digital Distribution, whether through a source such as iTunes, or Bit Torrent for the illgeal distributer, pirating is now a threat more to the start-up artist, rather than the hit-making machines that are artistic elite. Granted, stealing from any artist who has actually put the thought and heart into their achievements should be wrong on levels from both sides of the spectrum, but I worry mostly for the likes of the classic independent, struggling artist who has no means to survive except for the fruit of their own labor. In this modern digital age, we see the likes of film, music, and even pirated software for videogames going against the developers who try the best to make the most out of what they can. Most monies are made within the first month of release for most games, films, and albums, after that, it's back to the drawing board, and the artist must struggle to rise to the top again.
Game developers use a tatic that sometimes pays off, and that is downloadable content. This is used for most gamers, who spend a lot on new-age technology to support their favorite passtime,to further enhance the gameplay of their favorite games. Developers do at times insult gamers who feel that DLC stands for vapor-ware, or uncompleted software, but in the struggling times, such as is with the music industry, developers and producers simply try to give the best possible experience with their software, in hopes of having gamers and sometimes new gamers to a said genre or series, to come back ravenously for more.
In the spectrum of gaming, the internet has at times allowed for positive conditions to the entertainment platform, considerably in the aspect of updates, and patches to fix all bugs in a game. For some, this is seen as a "lazy" form of developing, but meeting unrealistic deadlines for encoding thousands of lines of information can sometimes be haphazardous to those who try to get the best version of the game on the market. Most people do complain games should be finished before being shipped onto the shelves, but considering that the games patches and updates are usually free, complaints are respected, but not taking as serious as with the prices of DLC.
In the lines of the DLC, this is where games are usually made better with added bonus content that will run a gamer a full $75 to $100 (including purchase of the said game disc) when all content is officially uploaded onto stores like the PSN Store or Xbox Live. Content is not needed to experience the full-fledged game, but what once was included in most games on previous systems, now cost the player extended investments, and is rarely available in another format other than digitally downloaded versions. For some, although a rare minority, DLC is impossible do to internet scarcity, or the sort of connection only available in their area. Believe it or not, some places in the world, even the United States, are without the access to broadband or cable.
The gamers left out of the DLC movement, can at times find certain DLC available to buy on disc format at their local videogame store, but these options are scarce, if ever existant. The worst part is that developers who do deserve the extra services are bound to find, even at the lowest minority, pirating of the above software outlets, hence much money spent to distribution, but more importantly development, is taken out of the hands of those who create these billion dollar titles, and they recieve and even lower portion of the slave wage already the minimum.
Over the years, I have always been pro business to these, and other individuals who spend much of their lives developing the entertainmetns we now take for granted. The monies poured in are never the return, and if only for the love of the job do the individuals who create such entertainments continue to go along, and continue creating these amazing games, albums, and films. Although I do not talk much about the banking industry that is Hollywood here, I will say that even the highest paid director sometimes develops a movie worth his salary.
Thank you for reading the Malacast Editorial, I hope you've enjoyed this short editiorial on the basis of DLC and Digital Distribution, its pros and cons, and why examples of commisions like the RIAA are sometimes right about pirating digital content. I will give a further analysis on this topic, as it's always a blowhard one I deal with and am questioned about on the more-than-rarest of occasions. Thank you again for reading.

Mortal Kombat 9: Review

Late reviews are one of the things I hate do post, because I feel I've neglected my readers valuable time. So for the sake of those who read my blog, and were expecting this review sooner, I appologize. I actually have some things I want to say in this post that may seem controversital,but really it comes down to ethics on-part of the designer.
Mortal Kombat 9, the lastest in the Mortal Kombat series, released earlier this year for the Xbox 360, and the Playstation 3 is a retro take on the old fighting franchise. How do you keep an old dog with old tricks releveant in this age? With a new engine. Although the graphics engine for Mortal Kombat 9 is the same one used for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, it is actually much smoother this time around. The characters are all the same from past games, no real new characters are found here, excluding DLC, but we'll get to that later. The game consists of almost every fighter from the first three games, and includes Quan Chi as an added bonus. The game itself is a rip-roaring smorgasbord of violence, carnage, and everything fans have grown to love from this franchise.
Mortal Kombat 9 brings back famous characters who are on a first-name basis with fans,with the likes of: Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, Reptile, Liu Kang, Raiden, Kano, and loads more. Not the most amount of fighters seen in the game's history, but a close second. Playable characters are enough to keep hours, if not days of gameplay enthralling, even without the downloadable content. The game is consistent, realistic, the new fighting engine, including the surprisingly fun X-Ray moves, are not as stale as I expected them to be.
Fatalities are back, and can be unlocked in the returning krypt, or they can be found out in the pratice fatality mode, which allows you to pratice all different combinations to discover seceret fatalities. All characters have a stage fatality, which is similar to what could be done in MKII, considered the best game by an engrossing amount of fans, and babalities have also returned for certain characters.
The fatality system has not changed much since its inception, to no one's real surprise, it still takes a buttong combination to pull off the stage ending video, where your opponent is split and sliced into itty bitty gore parts. Considering Warner Bros. said they wanted a 90s style game back on the market to sell, it's no surprise that Boon and company pulled out all the bloody stops to make this game a no-go for parents. The times have changed though, as much less outraged can be seen over this game, and although this game is far less graphic in content to say the Grand Theft Auto series, and even horror juggernaut Dead Space 2, there is a surprising amount of gross moments, and many comical ones as well.
When you look at the overall game, there was a lot of love placed into it, and the game shines, and has some droughts, but overall, it is a classic game in a new engine. Fans should not be disappointed, and newcomers to this series will find they have a world of history to explore if this sparks their interests in the older games. I'm sure HD remakes will be hitting the PSN and XBLA soon enough, but this game in-itself is a fresh start to the franchise. I would actually be excited for MK-X if and when it comes out in the future.
Levels from the first three games return in their HD glory, some famous ones being the Living Forest, which I was not too impressed with, but compared to its predecessor, there is no rival. Then there's the Subway station, which looks better than the first one, and its stage fatality is a fun one to use. The Rooftop stages are the best known from MKIII, and are some of the most detalied in MK9. Level design was done so well, that it makes you forget that this game is really an amazingly detailed hock of the first three, but does that mean the storyline pales in comparison from the first time around? Eh...you decide.

The story is that Raiden, after losing to Shao Khan in Armageddon, with all the Earthrealm fighters dead at their feet, uses some mystical telepathic power to reach his predcessor, the full God Raiden, back at the first tournament. Raiden warns himself that there is going to be a horrible future if he does not change the past, and if Armageddon happens, all of the realms will come under attack by Shao Khan. Seeing as Shao Khan is the tyrannical emperor of Outworld, a big guy with a Napolean complex, it does not shine the best light on Earth's future.
Using a broken medallion as a smybol to "mend" the past, the past Raiden uses images sent by the future Raiden to change the course of history. This turns out to take place over the first three original tournaments, as Shang Tsung, the great socceror to Shao Khan, loses both the first and second tournaments to Liu Kang and his Shaolin brother Kung Lao. These change the storyline so much, in-that it becomes a whole new timeline, and we are left to wonder what great changes will happen. Turns out, a lot of things change. One thing that changes is that Sub-Zero becomes a cybernetic ninja instead of the Lin Kuei member Smoke, and although Jax still loses his arms, and Kabal is still fried chicken, it seems like many of the Earthrealm warriors gain status where there was none before. Stryker becomes a more important character, while Liu Kang becomes on par with Kun Lao. Scorpion learns more about Quan Chi, the sourcerer that brought him back from hell, and though the original Sub-Zero does become Noob Saibot, and Cyber Sub-Zero teams with Shao Khan for a while, much of the change comes from the outcome of Shao Khan's death. The fourth game seems it may be skipped altogether, but that will be shown in MK X if it is developed in the future.

Besides the Quantum Leap storyline, the old-style of 2-D vs. 3-D, the game itself is a testament of all that is lvoed about Mortal Kombat, and all the petpeeves we as fans have had about the game. I can't say much has changed in the almost two-decade long era, but I do hope to see great things come from the series. I am not just finished though with this review, because if I were to rate the game as it stands now, I'd give it about an 8.5 out of 10. Yet, we still have some DLC to get through.

The DLC of MK 9 is not all entirely released, but so far we have two characters: one old, one new. The first is Kenshi, now before we get into this, if you've read my blog in the past, you know how I feel about DLC (Downloadable Content) and how much I cannot stand it, simply because if forces extra payments to a game I've bought already overpriced. DLC is unfair in-that if you do not have a cable modem, you cannot use it, and it costs more money than the download seems worth, but besides all of the negatives, and DLC is here to stay, here is my takes on the two chracters.
First mentioned is Kenshi, who become a playable character almost a decade after the first game's release. He is a blind swordsman who replaced Ermac in the Deadly Alliance and Deception titles. He was a fun character, a fan favorite for the new generation of Kombatants, and he is a powerful adversary. He returns to break up the timeline a bit, but is quite similar to the Kenshi we all have played in the past. The render of the character looks great so-far, and though I have little experience with the new characters, I can say they are not worth download just yet, as I hope a full-package is made a few months after the last few DLC characters come into play.

The second character is brand-new to the series, although it is a character created out of one of the famous mythos of the first three games. Skarlet was supposedly a playable character in the second game, but turned out to be a swapped render of Mileena. She is playable here for the first time on DLC for MK9, and is a blood-based female ninja. She uses similar, though not copied moves that Nitara had in MK:Deception, but she is a big part of the mythology behind the Mortal Kombat Universe. Many fans have hoped and wished for a Skarlet character, and now Boon and developers have come to terms with giving the fans the character that is literally a decade in the making. She is worth downloading if you are a super fan of the old games, but she has no real relevance to the timeline just yet, we'll see if the fans accept her, and if she returns as a stock character in the next game.

Overall, the game is fluent in its execution, Mortal Kombat 9 is perhaps the fastest game out, but considering other fighting titles, it's still in the stone-age. A more conservative fighting game, and it is more mature this time around, not so-much in violence, but seems our little MK franchise is finally growing into a classic. The story isn't the bad, but not great, the dialogue could still use some work, and the gameplay, including the A.I. need some kinks removed, but overall, this is by far the best "new age" Mortal Kombat game to date, and I'm so glad that Kratos is a playable special character over Robin, that would've been the worst decision ever made. I enjoyed the game, and if you're a diehard MK fan like myself, this review wouldn't matter anyway, but thank you for reading through it anyhow, and enjoy Mortal Kombat 9.

I just found out that Freddy Kruger is going to be a DLC character coming this August. I will give a full review in the up-coming month on this, and Rain, which has been out, but I have not much to say about the character. Rain does seem a bit overpowered in the preview, but I will put it to the test this upcoming month

I am Malacast Agent, and this is the Malacast Editorial, thank you for reading all of the reviews, and enjoying the many posts on this site. You can follow me on Twitter @mcasteditorial, or add me as a friend on Facebook, just search for Malacast Agentt, the extra t is because FB refuses still to acknowledge my name as real. Also check out the blog here at mcasteditorial.blogspot.com for more information on my newest project: The EntroPhenom Internet Radio Show.

As always. thank you for reading the Malacast Editorial, expect new posts up in the near future.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game

CLICK BLOG TITLE TO LINK TO GAMESPOT.COM'S REVIEW AND IMAGES


We all know the song, we all know the characters, and the amazing actors behind those characters. We all know the writers, directors, and producers of the movies, and we all know who we gotta call: Ghostbusters. The movies were great, classics, and were some of the best comedic works of Akroyd, Murray, and Ramis, names that need no introduction. Surely we can see that the Ghostbusters franchise is a dead-set cultural iconic franchise at that, but how does the video game (based off the potential third film's script) measure up to the movies, animated series, and the merchandise that makes all Ghostbusters fans go ga-ga?
Simple, it just does! If you loved the movies, you will love the game. If anything, it will get you psyched for a possible third film, if one ever does occur in theaters. I'd throw in a few ghostly puns here, but at the moment, I just want to give you the hard news on the game, first, Gameplay.
Video games, whether they be rehashes of older games, based off movies, or even original series that grow into crappy movies ( i.e. Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Super Mario...you get the point) gamers all desire one important aspect of all these games: great gameplay. Gameplay is the stone scaffolding to any game, it may be an old model, but it builds up a pretty skyscraper of a game. If I can't get around the controls, or if I can't handle the flow, I just throw the game out, so in a huge, huge, mind you fucking huge line of terrible video games based on movies, does Ghostbusters the Video Game fall in line, or does it cut ahead of the class?
I think the game is honestly far above the par of major movie-to-video game titles, but what I like is that it is easy to fall into the controls, and learn the game. The controls handle well, but it may take a few moments to become familiar with the game. I picked this game up 12 in the morning,a dn played until four, just so I could write this review early, and luckily I can give you an idea of everything that needs to be covered. If you need to worry about anything in this game, controls are the least to worry about. You may need to read the manual though, as I have yet to find a fair customization for the controls. They just have a few defaults that are self-made, and I find that annoying, but I didn't play around much with that, I jumped excitedly into the video game.
Ghostbusters The Video Game, is quite amazing in its graphics, as the characters really do look like the actors that have become the embedded images of Dr. Venkman, Egon, and Stantz. The characters truly look and word just like the characters of the movies. I was absolutely amazed at the detail put into these characters, figuring that Atari would just hash some bad renders, as this game took forever to come out, due to the companies falling out after finishing the game, and Atari swooping in and touching the game up just a bit. I was happy to see that the graphics of the ghosts, although the renders at times get repetitive, follow through with the major ghosts from the movies. Other characters from the films do return, like Peck, the dick-wad EPA Administrator that completely boasted an ugly-ass goatee, and put New York in peril during the first film, he becomes part of a special paranormal investigative corporation from the state government called P-COC becomes tied into the Gozer-themed story that follows the video game.
The story pretty much opens up at the New York Museum of Natural History, and there is a new Gozer exhibit, so you can expect some crazy things to start-up. These sightings of ghosts lead to be something larger than ever seen on the paranormal spectrum, as ghouls and goblins from movies past make a triumphant return, and look very pretty doing it! I especially love how how they made Stay Puft's images looked awesome, and I know awesome may not be a professional term, but come on! You get to fight the Marshmallow man, how professional does it get? This game is sheer satire, it's awesome, and it's funny, and if you don't want to play it, fine, but you're missing out.
The game does get a bit laggy, and yes, a bit repetitive, but what I think is the least-satisfying is that there are not really enough cut scenes that develop the plot enough, although enough of it is done in real-time. The game is actually a bit creepy in some cases, taking a few pages from survival horror, and yet still being a tad cartoonish, it is a game that hasn't really decided what genre it wants to be. Without giving much away, the game basically plays like the next movie, so it's not an combined attempt on both movies, it is literally the next chapter in the Ghostbusters trilogy, and that alone makes it a collector's item. Ghostbusters is available for: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and PC.
The game also boasts a few minigames to be played online through multiplayer challenges of groups of five. Some of the games include: protecting generators that need to be charged from ghosts, protecting artifacts, capturing ghosts the fastest, and sort of king of the hill style games where you have to move from one point on the other on the game's map. This part of the game is quite laggy, but when it's working, it is just pure amazing, because you can play any of the four original ghostbusters, or the "rookie" from the game, and you play and can even chat to the other players, while you slam ghosts into traps. This can lose its flavor after a while, but you can do some awesome stuff, like dunk slimer, and other fun games that are a little avant-garde, it's still fun to do. For more information on the game, check my link to all the pretty pictures of the game from gamespot, and follow this blog on twitter, just search mceasteditorial on Twitter, and get your tweet on! How lame would that be if that was there by-line?

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Review

Image from Google

Fighting games are a franchise that was held in the highest regards during the nineties. People lined up around the block outside the local arcades to take their chance at beating the best of the best at games like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Killer Instinct, and SNK’s King of Fighters series. The game that was given the most controversial skepticism was of course Mortal Kombat. All fighting games are brutal in their own way, but Mortal Kombat was the first mainstream video game fighter in the arcades that actually allowed you to kill your opponent in a gruesome gory way. This became known as the iconic fatality, and has been shown to have impacted our culture in many ways, as parodies and real-life cases have come to show the Mortal Kombat series as an iconic time capsule that will be seen as one of the most important fighting games of our time.
The newest installment in the series is called Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. The idea is not a new one for the fighting franchise, crossovers are more common than not. The Marvel vs. Capcom series should be a prime example of how this is an old dog doing old tricks, but it looks pretty and new. Let’s now go into the review for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Univserse:

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a prequel game set between Mortal Kombat 2 and Mortal Kombat 3. The game’s story mode can be played by either the DC side, which brings you into contact with the heroes and villains of that world such as: Batman, The Joker, Deathstroke, Superman, Shazam, and Lex Luthor. The other side can be played by Mortal Kombat characters, and takes place in both Earthreal, the Neatherrealm, and Outworld. DCs side plays out mostly in Metropolis, Gotham City, and of course the Fortress of Solitude.

Image of Captain Marvel from DC fame.

Ok, so the gameplay is one of the best of the series. Unlike most fighters, the button mashing stays the same, but the team at Midway put some thought into revamping the fighting system so it flows well on the Playstation 3. I was not too fond of this mash-up at first, but after playing several characters, I sense how they put lots of detail into the game, and even adding an element It lacked for so long: the double tap dash, which means you hit the directional but twice to make the character sprint. This is present in almost every fighting game, and was a much needed improvement.
The klose kombat addition, where you can pull your opponent in and take pop shots at their face was an excellent, and sometimes a much welcomed break from the brutality of the match. Despite this game’s Teen rating, which is a major step down from the Mature rating the series is used to, the punishment the characters take can be unbearable to watch as they’re tattered and torn apart. The detail to ripping costumes, and scarring is a beautiful attention to detail. Free-Fall Kombat is similar to klose kombat, and does massive damage. Midway also brought back the classic test your might style back into certain levels, where you crash your oppenent through a series of walls, and button mash to add damage. All these great additions play well into the gameplay.

Image from Bat Blogger
I did not feel the Kombo Challenges were done well, , and just makes you throw the controller down, and go back to arcade mode. The new pro moves system is a pain to pull off. Pro moves are like a free extra couple of hits on your opponent. When pulling off a special move, say Sonya’s upward bicycle kick manuver, if you hit the action button, in the case for the PS3, It would be the circle button, she will then do this move twice. These moves are truly for pros, as timing is essential, so newcomers to the game will have a hard time figuring out how to pull them off. With some time, and some quick fingers, the moves will become like second nature. This is although a frustrating part of the game, a very much welcomed edition to the genre, as it forces you to strive and become a better player.
Although you can do all of the combo challenges to earn achievements or trophies ( accomplishments for completing tasks in the game.) and you can play arcade mode on hard to better your skills, the only way to learn how to master the game, is to get some experience in through online play. Online play is very simple, and I feel that it is fun, but like other games in the past, the game play is lagged a bit, and counters done to an oncoming attack can hurt both players, so when say one character is doing a chain combo of hits, and the other character does a special move, both parties are hurt in the exchange. In Mortal Kombat: Deception and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, I had the same lag issues, now I know this may be a server issue, so why did they not fix their servers, or at least update them? It’s like they said: “Well, it’s broke, so let’s not fix it”.




Despite lag, and a simpler game room layout from the previous game, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe has a good online system. It could be better, that is true, I’ve only played it on the PS3, so maybe Xbox Live has less bugs. The game play online is at times like arcade mode, but because of the online play, you can have spammers, hackers, and other infringements on the game that can change a camera angle, or hurt game play. This takes away from the accuracy and fairness of the online matches, and may frustrate many a players testing their abilities against the best.
Overall, the game is a great addition as a fighter, but the story mode, the combo challenge mode, and even the online mode need to have been looked over once more, because they flaw the game. The story mode should have been longer, despite it already being lengthy; due to the ability of playing both the Mortal Kombat and DC Universe side. The lack of in-depth plot shortens the experience of what is supposed to be a six-hour game. To be honest, for the casual gamer, this game is not worth your money, perhaps more a glorified rental title.
If I had to score this game, I’d give it a 7 out of 10. The game is a great fighter, but all-in-all this is a game that needs to have been combed over once more. I hope that if they go this route again with a mash-up title, they fix the glitches in the final game. Although it is not as glitch-y or as bad as Armageddon, hopefully the next game in the franchise is more back to the bloody roots that started it all.

MK vs. DC Universe and Mortal Kombat 8/9 Preview

P.S. I did not post any pictures, because they're all over the net.

Mortal Kombat: if you've looked back at my past reviews/previews, you'd see that I've been solely dedicated to this fighting franchise, and not just for the singularity feeling of going head-to-head in a classic, updated fighting game, but for the overall expansion of the Mortal Kombat world that has taken this mud ball by its reigns and said: "Whoa, hold it right there, now see this? This is how a fighting game is made." This is the definitive fighting game on the planet, and people ask, how did this one beat out all the others when it comes to fighting games? I mean Capcom, SNK, even Neo-Geo have their classics, but Midway's Mortal Kombat is the game franchise you think of? Even games like Soul Calibur, and Bloody Roar ( in my opinion, Bloody Roar is an actualy technical fighting game, where button mashing and spamming do not pay off) fail to compete with this game that is over 15 years in the making? Well, because the story never goes stale, and the kombat system is what others strive to be, yes even Street Fighter.
Unlike Guilty Gear, KoF, or even Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat made the best jump from 2-D to 3-D of any of the above named fighters. I'd throw in Bloody Raw and Soul Calibur into that line-up, but those two were already three dimensional games, and are also top tier franchises. For more information on Mortal Kombat's significance in video gaming history, please refer to the earlier posts.
Now, when I think of Mortal Kombat, I think of three things: 1. Story, perhaps the most important aspect I find in the series, and where Armageddon failed me, but that's another story. 2 Control, I want to be able to have quick reactions, and not deal with the same three-hit combos spammed to hell in every damn match against Scorpion. The controls need to react fast, because that's how the fighting genre is, speed and skill against defense and reaction. Finally, I want characters: Above 20, below thirty, but 10 is a reasonable amount to really show-off whether you know how to play, or just spam characters until they shoot out a fireball.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was a fucking joke when I first heard the announcement, about four-to-five months ago. That's when I was bored and decided to check out Midway's homepage in hopes of a new Suffering game to preview, but alas, I see Batman and Sub-zero squaring off. It was a few weeks before April Fools' so I figured it was Gamepro doing a gag, but they already set up the Zelda film, which I admired through the creativity that went into that faux trailer. Nope, Midway was not following in the Gamepro footsteps, this game was coming out whether I liked it or not, I expressed my utter hatred for this game, and I am not picky I disliked Marvel vs Capcom as well, because cross-overs are nothing but unimaginative games pieced together to make a quick buck off of old content.
Then I heard that it was canon! This game is canon to the story, as it takes place between MK I and MKII, which was also the early and mid-nineties, the rise in DC comics were going up with Frank Miller, Alan Moore, and Todd McFarlene working on different Batman comics, revitalizing the franchise from near death, and shitty films. Remember, the Michael Keaton Batman came about this time as well, so it was desperately needed. That is probably coincidence, rather than playing to the Golden Age of DC revitalization.
I was not happy about this at all, I mean as someone that knew Special Forces was a bad idea, felt that this game in-particular would flop like a fish on scalding glass. I also suspected that Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was TIme Warner sticking their nose in Midway's business, but I saw potential after not just the renders, but the fact that fatalities were specific to certain characters. After the last three games (MK: DA, MK:D, and MK:A) The fatalities were becoming more and more broad, and the characters were based more off fighting style and either good, bad, or neutral. So when I saw that the fatalities/brutalities, would be specifically picked because of either a hero of villain, I saw the possibilities of a future game (MK 8/9 depending how you are counting) as it would play out on the next gen consoles. What irritated me is that this game should've came afterwards, and was done obviously because of the next few years in film. DC is struggling to regain its dynasty from the conquering Marvel franchise, and impending superiority of Dark Horse with Hellboy, and the ever-present Image comics with Spawn. DC Universe is another game based on DC that is coming out like an MMORPG style game, and that is also because of the revival of not only Batman in The Dark Knight, but the next Superman movie in Summer of 2009, the green lighted production of a Green Lantern film, and the big Justice League movie to conclude in 2010 or 2011. Marvel is ahead of this game with an Iron Man movie, an Incredible Hulk movie, and possible upcoming Captain America movie, and Spiderman 4. These movies, in-turn lead into an Avengers film. Marvel Wars is probably the kickstart to all these happenings.
Back to the game, and why I feel it was a bad idea: See, you have these two franchises, and just how they're both suppose to be playing out towards the video game medium, and the theatrical medium, and both together are like mixing pizza with ice cream, only a few sickos are going to enjoy the taste. Midway did this because of the fail attempt to win their fans with Armageddon which they knew was hype, and even admitted to leaving out important areas, while never giving us bios, or closure. So instead of fucking up the next canon game in the present timeline of Mortal Kombat, they're going back to the glory days of MKII, which is considered to be the game's high-point.
The story they came up with is unoriginal, and really lazy: the two world's collided, and now MK and DC characters are battling it out because they can, and it's not even like the tournament is happening, it's just like this: "Hey! It's batman, he's like my opposite" says Sub-Zero. "I have to kick his angst, anti-social ass back to Gotham City where he can nightcap with Vicky Vale, and over-analyze simple tasks." Yeah...Sub-Zero and Batman....long lost twins, sort of like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito in the movie Twins. Of course Scorpion and Superman have to duke it out, I guess both are complete opposites because.......yeah, still trying to grasp a hold as to why these two are paired up to battle it out, makes my brain hurt, so I'll go play pong for a while.
Yeah, this game is sad, I mean it's really, really sad, there's no beacon of light at the end of that lighthouse, it's just a lighthouse that's beating it's window-paned face on the wall trying to figure out why the hell this game was made.
But then, I saw a tiny flame, I saw it budding across that dark palette of suck ocean, and what came back was the smile and laughter of a clown. A deranged, psychotic, whacky clown that SHOT KITANA IN THE FUCKING HEAD WITH A PISTOL!
The Joker's fatality, is by far one of the sickest things I've ever saw, I mean it's the Joker, nothing better could sum him up. First he pulls out a pistol, shoots the opponent, and out comes confetti and a "BANG" flag. Opponent is like "WTF?" then he pulls out another pistol and just point-blank shoots them in the FUCKING HEAD....yes, I'll say it again out comes pistol, shot in head, and I say "MK vs DCU, I'm in love with you, please, take my hand in geek, comic-book guy nerdiness marriage".
So despite flaws, characters most of us had to research to know who the hell they were, which I'm glad to have done, Shazam is an interesting Superhero, despite being a blatant rip-off of Superman...or is it vice versa, sorry, Marvel fan here. This game has potential, sure it's not what the fans wanted, but if they allow creative freedom on all parts. (DC writers are working with Boon and company on this project) it could be a good vanity piece for collectors down-the-road. If Boon doesn't fuck it up, we might have a play-worthy game on our hands.
I've had the chance to sample a bit of this game at Comic-Con this year, but seeing the drastic changes to the game since then (i.e. new characters) I just hope they spruce up the lucidity of the controls, and for PS3 use the Sixaxis controller in some way, maybe test your might? That is all easy programming though, and may be a last-minute surprise. I've pre-ordered the game, and expect to get it at least two days ahead of the curb, as I am also reviewing Street Fighter 4 here, and in an indy magazine put out by gamers. Leipzig showed us that all MK characters, except Johnny Cage will be in (As of now) and that characters such as Wonder Woman, and Deathstroke, what else could we see from this game that seems to continue to surprise, and mesmerize both sides of the fan base spectrum? Perhaps we'll never know, but in the upcoming months leading the the November 10th release, Mortal Kombat vs, DC Universe will be one game fans will need to play, as this can be a turning stone in the series as we know it; I mean, look at what happened to Street Fighter after Marvel vs. Capcom... give it a thought.


Now, Mortal Kombat 8, or 9, however you count it, I count it eight because of this game, but in the line of games, it will actually be MK 13, 14 counting MK: Unchained for the PSP, but you get the gist. Mortal Kombat 8 for all intent purposes, should be to the PS3 as Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance was to the PS2, granted, it was a great game, but it also laid the path for Deception, perhaps the best game of that console. New characters are a must, especially female characters, I think they are under-appreciated in MK games, and feel that they can be just as original if not more original than the male characters. Mortal Kombat 8 will take place right after Armageddon, so we're guaranteed to be saying good-bye for a while to some of the classic characters that have died off in Armageddon *Note: no characters have yet to be canonized as dead, and/or gone from the Mortal Kombat Universe, so it's still anyone's game, but don't expect Scorpion to be biting the dust twice, he's still going to be there, unless Boon completely shocks the hell out of me and puts him off for now, but he's not gone for good. The story mode will follow along the lines of what we've seen in the past, but I'm hoping for less sandbox, more story, maybe something like a Mortal Kombat: Reconciliation game, where we all get to start back at square one, and not let emotion run the tourney, but rather have the fights be for the sake of humanity, and play that battle out on an epic scale with CGI galore, you can have perhaps the most intense MK game if you try hard enough and make that sparing effort.
In hopes of a future game, I do hope that MK DOES NOT, I repeat DOES NOT go the way that Bungie did, and create an RTS style game, as it will be like turning Tetris into an RPG, or Final Fantasy into an FPS....oh, sorry, FF XIII already did that from the looks of the game.
MK on the PS3, the real MK will be worth waiting for, Boon is making a promise, and knowing him, he'll not keep it, but Ed Boon also knows this story as it's his lifeline, and if he cares about the $60 bucks of not just my money, but the hundreds of thousands of fans throughout the world that adore MK, he'll focus on a good story, and great fighting.

Check out my upcoming posts on future video games, music, technology, and of course, literature/books. Thank you for reading Malacast Editorial, and hope you've enjoyed your stay.

GTA: IV and Silent Hill 5 Previews!

NOTE: ALL IMAGES FOUND VIA GOOGLE IMAGE

I love Summer, so I am happy to start posting, and reading books again. I usuall hibernate on my winters, and continue to go forth with just rest, work, and the occasional article online. So I have two previews for you, one is Grand Theft Auto IV and Silent Hill 5, because I personally like both of these games.
from www.grandtheftautoiv.com/screenshots/9.jpg. Shows a ship in what appears to be Liberty City's Portland Habor.
Well, the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV was shown about four months ago, and it was hyped up to what we had expected. Although it looks to take place in Liberty City, which is fine with me, since Liberty City was perhaps my favorite one in the game series. Although, I do wonder if GTA V will be a revamp of VIce City; my least favorite place of series. Now, this games looks amazing , just like the GTA III looked for PS2 (Looking at PS3 Version of game) What astounds me is the graphics, they are decent for what seems to be a giant game. I wonder if Shoreside Vale, along with Staunton Island will tie into Portland as well. Images point to yes, but I am confused as to how well this game will be done gameplay wise? Will the game use the triggers on the PS3 controller to the advantage? I hope so, since they seem to be a rip-off of the XBOX 360 controller's and the Wii's wireless, trigger controller as well. As I scroll throught he screenshots on gamespot.com, I find that event he water relfelection is astounding! I wonder if seagulls will even be able to shit on you at random times. The surreality of this game seems to be able to touch on that do-what-you-want style of gaming.

Random people around what seems to be Libery City's Business District: Staunton Island.

Now on GTA IV the most important aspect is, do the cars look nice? I must admit, the cars look as amazing as Grand Turismo 3 did when it astounded me the first time I played. The cars have relflection, life, and abosutley better thant the box-like cars found in the PS2 version of the game. If I got this, it would eat away hours of my day, just driving around! The cars are so detailed, they even have windshield wipers! I wonder if the cars that have windshield wipers in the game can be used during a rainfall? Do convertibles have tops that you can put up as well? Perhaps the R2 and L2 triggers will do something of that sort, but I am just making theories. We will have to wait until October '07 rolls around. So far, the licencense plates from the pictures seem to have no codes, but these pictures are probably old than water when they were released to Gamespot.com, not that I care, but I know Rockstar to be much more realistic than what is being portrayed. Of course, it might also be self-censorship, due to the backlash they would get from the ESRB. The landscape looks absolutely amazing, and I would say that gamers will actually do more with just searching around the city, before they even do any of the missions. The gorgeous scenery is astounding, as if they took even extra pride in the tiniest of details. If people argue that $60 is too expensive, they need to be slapped, this game looks like it should cost at most $100, but I am going to say that this game will probably go Platnium on Xbox 360, and a Greatest Hits on PS3.
One reason that Rockstar may have some issues getting this game on the market. The building here looks quite similar to the Empire State Building, a Landmark in New York City. Although this is obviously not the same buliding, it may cause some issues.
No doubt in my mind that this game is not going to be on every kids Christmas List. Parents will also go forth and buy this game for their kids, as it is something that the ESRB, and Video Game Companies don't get: most parents raise sensible kids that can be like 12 and play this stuff without taking it to heart. Especially the surreality of these games, like smashing a car into a wall, while not dying, it's always made games cartoonish. a spectacular image a downtown area of Liberty City. Perhaps Portland? Perhaps even Shoreshide Vale? Either way, it's very beautiful scenery.
I cannot say much more on this game, but thatthe wait is taking longer than needed, and I even recall running home from a long day to see the first trailer. That was in March, and I have been waiting a while for new information, some real gameplay footage, and some more depth to the story. One final thought before I move on to Konami's fifth installment in the Survival Horror Genre Silent Hill V, Grand Theft Auto IV has already been sparking controversy. Rockstar comes under too much scandal due to the infamous "Hot Coffee" Mod in GTA: San Andreas. This has effected them mostly in the attempt to publish games that normally would get the needed Mature rating (17+) but, due to the AO (Adults Only, 18+) made to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, has hurt the ability for Take Two and Rockstar Games to put out titles like they use to do: with ease. Now it seems everyone under the sun wants to see Manhunt 2 get canned due to graphic content and "the game being nothing more than killing to advance in the game" (paraphrased)

reason two as to why Rockstar my have issues. Does this look familar? Looks very much like the Statue of Libery, found near Elis Island in New York City's habor. I guess a name like Liberty City needs a good image to symbolize the name. What better than the giant green lady herself?

Basically it's a game where you kill to survive, and are rewareded for a more gruesome execution-style. Although the majority of the games on the market that are either FPS (FIRST PERSON SHOOTER) or even Survival Horror, your main objective IS to KILL your ENEMY! Besides, in the first Manhunt, you were required to do task in order to advance to new areas. So when games like this come under controversy, and release dates are held off way beyond the point of reason, it scares me to think what they will do to Grand Theft Auto: IV. Especially since Rockstar decied to make Staunton Island (Theory of the name of the area) look like Manhattan. Although some building do look like they have a similar structure, they are not in fact the landmarks that exist in the city today. One fear was that planes would be excluded from the game, due to the idea some "sick fuck" would fly a plane into the buildings that "resemble" the "Landmarks" found in the city. Yet the many flight sims do not come under wraps, since they are not made by Rockstar. The joke is, even in the family friendly games like the flight simulators, planes can crash into bulidings. In fact, the flight simulators often have cities that very much resemble real cities more than the fictional world of Rockstar's giant franchise.
Another gorgeous scene of Liberty City from the shore. Look how the water reflects! This game is in iteself an art that very few have ever seen done on a home console!

To conclude, be sure to buy a copy of this game as soon as you can, since it might be your only chance to own a copy before somone pulls it from the shelves. Nevertheless, if you're a fan, or even a first-time player who just happens to own a PS3 or XBox 360, I recommend investing in this franchise, it's definetly going to set the standard for the future games to come. In fact, I think it already has! Name one game that is not using the free-roaming technique? Hard these days, but GTA had made that a standard, where others just hinted at the idea.
Silent Hill Logo found at sillenthill5.net. All images from same site.

Konami, the name conjurs up some history, and due to that reason we have games that still make us want more. Games like Metal Gear Solid series, and the game I am about to talk about: SIlent Hill V. Silent Hill, the name just envokes the raw emotion an videogame can have, and a storyline that only works well in the gaming world. The story of Silent Hill sets it apart from other games like Parasite Eve, Clockwork Tower, Siren, Fatal Frame, and of course, Resident Evil. Silent Hill's history is one that can be traced well into an inter-woven storyline. The game itself does not have difficult battles, but the eeries ambience, and the twitchy, distorted, even hideous monsters, appirations, and even ghosts make you play this game with a nightlight. The graphics from Silent Hill are not only on par with the storyline, but may even excel just a bit above! The first game on the PS1 looked like a PS2 game, and the first game on the PS2 looked amazing, as if it was like a PS 2.5, definetly pushing the mark.
The new main character going down a hallway.
Although they play out like soap operas from hell, it is an honorable trait that gives this series the fanbase. Some of the fans may not even realize how big Silent Hill is compared to others franchises in the genre. Perhaps it is due to the fact that the storyline makes the games more like Dramas with a touch of Horror. The games reach out to a broader audience due to their content, and even seem to be like a play being shown in front of the television screen. Excluding Silent Hill 3, most of the games seem to have a long play time. Silent Hill 3 was just too short in my honest opinion, and just did not have that subtle edge to it that most of the other titles had; although it did pay homage to Zelda, and to Japanese Anime. Silent Hill 4 is possibly the second best, as everyone knows it is difficult to compete with 2, being a landmark game for the PS2 and Xbox consoles. It was deemed so highly, an alternate version was released called Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams, which was only out for Xbox, but slowly and surely came to the PS2 console as well.


new character, old weapon. Looks like the metal pipe you normally get at the begining of the majority of Silent Hill games.


Now, Silent Hill V, looks amazing. I do not even want to discuss the graphics, because I would downplay exactly how well it is turning out so far in its early development. Not much about the storlyine has been said, only hints and hopes so far. Might I add, that only two pictures exist on Gamespot.com so far, adn the trailer is nothing mroe than a teaser of what sounds to be the lead character of the game. I do not even know the characters name yet, but what is even more intersting is that you are drawn into the trailer so much, you seem to not feel as pissed off that it had absolutely no gameplay, not even a shot of what SH lloks like on NEXT GEN! I mean, I saw nothing but the save symbol that is drawn wherever you can find a place in the game to save, and the words "SILENT HILL V" in red. I was still saying "Wow" after the dialouge. Which proves that Konami know how to make this franchise last.
The plot revealed so far through the dialouge is that a soldier, home from war, yet sounding a tad like someone out of touch with reality, has to find his missing son. So, what better place to look for a missing son than in Silent Hill? This is quite a different tale as was announced around a year or two ago, when the game was going to be based in the insane asylum near SIlent Hill, where the lead character went throught the remenants of the past, explaining what heppended to him to shrinks. I guess that storyline was not holding water, and would not be able to withstand more thatn 8+ hours of gameplay. Nevertheless, more has to be revealed soon, as this was all announced just prior to the E3 2007 showcase. Konami did pay some attention to their trailor, by let words speak louder than actions, and perhaps focused more on the real money maker, Metal Gear Solid: 4.

Just take a little off the top, not really a comfortable looking barber chair there. Bet the Barber Shop Quartet share the same body!

Silent Hill V does look to be a worthy Sequel to IV, but I do hope they make a better final Boss than what was given to us last tine, it was annoying and easy. One way to get pumped up is to go out and get all four first games if you do not own them, and play them all in order. After which, you can watch the decent attempt at the film adaptation, and also count down the days until the second film. All the games should be Greatest Hits by now, or at least at the price in their original packaging.
Hope you've enjoyed this preview, and stay connected to this site for an update coming soon: a "The Stolen Child" Review! Also look forward to a review of Kaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Thank you again for your support for Malacast Editorial, and as always, please check for recent updates to the sister site for new amateur writing: shortstoryweekly.blogspot.com!