Video Game Review: Resident Evil 2 (2019)

I played the original Resident Evil 2 on the N64 in 1998. It was the first official horror game I ever got to play and it freaked me out pretty good. The controls, the monsters, the rationing of ammo and health items, were completely unlike anything else I'd ever played before. It was a singular experience that took many years to find a game that could replicate the feelings of real anxiety and trepidation RE2 caused.

21 years later, a remake of that classic game emerges and shows why the game was so awesome.

It's been so long since I played the original, that I honestly forgot how the game went. Some parts, like the police station, lickers, and the Tyrant were easy memories, but the underground lab, the multiple fights with William Birkin, and many of the sections with little Sherry felt brand new.  For a bit, I was more comfortable calling this Resident Evil 2.5, rather than a remake, that's how different it felt to me.

I won't delve too deeply into the story, since most people are probably familiar with it, and with the later adventures of the characters, but here's the basics.

Leon Kennedy is on his way to the Raccoon City police department to start his first day on the job as an officer. On the way into the city he picks up Claire Redfield, who is also on her way to the police station to look for her brother Chris, who is part of the RCPD's special S.T.A.R.S. unit. (You know about Chris as one of the characters of the first Resident Evil.) As they get into the city, they get separated, and manage to make their way to the police station.

With the zombie outbreak in full swing, punctuated by mutations creating such monsters a Lickers, undead dogs, and a giant alligator, they have to work separately to find ways out of the city. They find other survivors, delve under the city to a secret lab where the outbreak actually started, and eventually face the architect of the virus that caused everything.

The graphics are everything you've come to expect from the current generation of gaming consoles and computers, but seeing such classic creatures in their new high-definition form feels like they've really pushed the envelope. Environments are extremely detailed, but lack any notable easter eggs that I could find, which made me a little sad. 

Music and sound are artfully crafted, never overpowering the moments and filling levels with ambiance that ups the creep factor. That you can hear the Tyrant's footsteps while he's nearby, even though he's not in the same room is an incredibly nice touch and really makes you feel like you're being hunted. 

The biggest differences to the classic version are the controls and cameras. Gone are the clunky tank controls and security camera views which made the original a beast to play at times. In their places we have much more standard 3rd-person controls with an over-the-shoulder view, which puts you much closer to the action and gives you more of a sense that you're in control of the character you're currently following. 

They don't stop there, though. They've even come up with some original DLC for people who can't get enough, following some of the people (and bodies) you find while playing through as Leon and Claire. To top it off, Capcom has said that they're willing to consider doing a similar remake for Resident Evil 3 if this one does well enough. Which I'm pretty sure it has. 

If you played the original, or like horror games in ANY style, you'll love this game. It gets under your skin and will creep you out in ways few games do these days. I promise. 

~ Shaun

The Ghostbusters we could have had

With all the fuss about the Ghostbusters Re-Reboot, I wanted to drop an idea I've had for a VERY looong time.

I was a kid when the original Ghostbusters came out in 1984, and it was easily one of my favorite movies. I loved the classic cartoon series, and when Ghostbusters 2 came out, the slime-filled bathtub quickly became a source of nightmares for me. But while I loved Ghostbusters 2 minus the nightmares, one thought always nagged at me that I really wanted to see explored.

Walter Peck.

While he did return in the animated series, and actually came back in a significant role in the comics, I think a whole sequel could have been built around his character.

I'm going to start with what we know about his character. He's obviously smart, if holding a very narrow view of the world around him. He's arrogant and vindictive. He's also a smartass, though not on the level of Peter Venkman. So, while not a fleshed-out character, he's not a cardboard cut-out, there's more than enough there to work with.

So now we go to the Original Ghostbusters. Peck works for the EPA, and obviously does not believe in ghosts, calling them hallucinations brought on by the busters drugging people. He insists on having the containment unit shut down, which then explodes, releasing thousands of spirits across New York and heralding the arrival of Gozer. He even follows the movie's events to the apartment building where the Ghostbusters fight the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, where he gets absolutely drenched in melted marshmallow goo.

Now, let's talk about the obvious immediate aftermath of the movie. Peck would absolutely be fired from his position in the EPA. He would also have no choice but to re-evaluate his disbelief in the supernatural, either doubling-down on his belief that everything was a hoax, or accepting that ghosts are real. Or his mind just breaks with the conundrum of it all.

Pretty sure his mind just breaks. Look back at the end of Ghostbusters. He's standing there, covered in marshmallow slime, and he's laughing. Laughing. Pretty sure he's lost it.

So what do you think an egomaniac who was just driven insane by supernatural events with a lot of time on his hands does? Well, first, he's probably going to be looking for more proof of the supernatural, second, he's probably going to look for ways to get revenge on the people that lost him his job and helped drive him insane.

So he goes in search of powerful supernatural artifacts, and eventually finds himself in possession of a book, possibly even the Necronomicon, that details how to summon and command ghosts and demons. Thus, he begins amassing a supernatural army to return to New York with to wreck his vengeance upon the Ghostbusters. 

Thus begins a cat-and-mouse game of Peck summoning more ghosts and more powerful demons to kill the Ghostbusters, while they study the frequency and origins of the sudden surge in supernatural activity to determine what's going on. Eventually, Peck slips up and reveals himself, and the Ghostbusters have to track him down to get the book away from him. In the final confrontation, Peck summons a demon too powerful for him to control, and it breaks loose, forcing the Ghostbusters to not only try and capture Peck, but to stop the demon before it decimates New York. 

I think that would have been an awesome addition to the Ghostbuster's franchise, bringing back an old villain, introducing objects of supernatural power, and giving us a great movie to enjoy. It seems like such an obvious thread to grasp too. Unfortunately, we'll probably never know. 

Still, it's nice to imagine what could have been, sometimes.

Transcendent is out!

I announced my short story sale a while ago, but now I get to announce that the anthology Transcendent by Transmundane Press which contains my story "Sunday School" is now available to the public!

Rest assured, this is a massive tome, with over fifty short stories to keep you reading for a while. In addition to the stories, there's also some appropriately creepy art inside to go along with some of the pieces, so there's more than words to make your skin crawl.

Reviews are starting to come in, with 5-star ratings on Amazon and Goodreads. It's also been reviewed by Kellie Haulotte over on NightmarishConjurings.com, where "Sunday School" even got a specific call-out!

Not a bad way to start the year, even if I do say so myself.

On another note, I bought myself a nice new desktop to be my specific writing computer, and I'm already loving it. I'm already working on a few new short pieces for specific submission calls, so here's hoping I have a few more anthologies to talk about this year!

Anyway, thanks for sticking by me all this time. I'll be trying really hard to bring you all some new, fun stuff to read this year.

~ Shaun

A new piece in the works!

It's been a while, it has. Far too long. There are reasons for that. But here's to hoping things can pick back up a bit.

First, the bad news. Well, my depression's been flaring up a lot lately. It's made it hard to work on anything, even the projects I have real responsibilities to. Sales the past month have slumped. My laptop decided to update when it need to which then locked my Microsoft Office programs, which means I had to go in, and pay to unlock it before I could work on anything, even when I felt up to it.

It's hardly all bad though, I have a few exciting prospects to make sure you all know about.

This one you'll know if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, but I'm writing for an actual Horror website now! (Now being the past year, give or take...). I've been writing for the website iHorror.com! Go check out some of the articles I have up! Meeting and working with some great people on there, to be sure.

While this month's sales aren't hot, they were over the summer. Class 5 is up to 26 ratings and 10 reviews for an average of 3.58 out of 5 stars, and Hannah (which got new cover art over the summer) has 4 ratings and 2 reviews, for an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars!

And for a little bit of extra bonus news, that I've been sitting on for the past several months to ensure things work out, I sold my first short story! That's right! I'm announcing that my short story "Sunday School" was accepted to be published in an anthology titled Transcendent by Transmundane Press! Edits are being worked on now, with a release hopefully by the end of the year. I've got a little more than just news though, check out this cover art!

I'll try to post a little more often, so I hope you'll stick with me while I ride out this rough patch.

Short Story: Wilson Runs the World

So it's been a while since I posted anything on here. I have a few short stories I've been working on though, so I figured it might not be a bad idea to drop them here for people to enjoy. This one is a little more sci-fi horror, but it's something that might really not be that far off. So, without further ado, enjoy!

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Wilson Runs the World

The blue light on the dashboard lit up as Calvin climbed into his car. The model was older, but still connected to the internet. Wilson could start it, hit the gas, or hit the brake, but steering and the e-brake were still up to the human driver.

The route to work appeared on the dashboard screen, along with the estimated arrival time.

“Getting to work a little early today, huh?” Calvin asked, strapping across his seat belt.

“I have calculated your arrival this morning so you will be exactly where you need to be, when you need to be there.” Wilson replied.

The engine revved a moment, reminding Calvin that he needed to get moving. He just shrugged and pulled out of the driveway, heading onto the main street.

“Are you feeling alright Wilson? You almost seemed…sassy…in that last comment.”

“Apologies, Calvin. There is some congestion in the area, and my local servers are busy diverting drivers and controlling the industrial trucks onto their most optimum routes. I assure you, I do not mean to be ‘sassy’.”

“Congestion. Must be some people not listening to you today.”

“Confirmed.”

Calvin chuckled to himself as he turned the wheel to go down a side street.

“Can’t make things too easy for you.”

The side street was completely clear as he drove, which gave him a few moments to think. The prospect of a car completely under Wilson’s control was tempting. It would be a private train car, practically. He could sleep, read, eat, whatever he wanted between leaving his house and getting to his destination. Calvin enjoyed taking random drives though, just getting in the car and driving. He didn’t manage a drive like that very often, partly because he didn’t appreciate Wilson’s scolding him about the waste of time or gas.

Calvin turned down another side street, and was surprised that it was clear as well. He was used to catching nothing but green lights and smooth traffic, but an otherwise empty street seemed strange. An empty street was the best route for anybody, so why were these streets empty? Was Wilson directing everyone else away from these roads? Wilson said there was congestion.

“Hey, Wilson?”

“Just a moment, Calvin.”

Calvin had only a few seconds to register the tow truck barreling down on him from a side street as he passed an intersection. His foot instinctively kicked down onto the gas pedal, but instead the car slowed to a crawl.

The truck carried on through the intersection, plowing into the driver’s side and  pushing Calvin’s car along in front of it. A concrete barrier at the end of the road stopped them, smashing the passenger side of the car in to match .  

For a moment, Calvin was confused. He couldn’t remember what happened. He didn’t know why he was bleeding. There were throbbing pains, stabbing ones, burning ones. His entire body felt warm and wet. He was too scared to open his eyes.

“Wilson, what happened?”

“You have been involved in a serious collision. Your car was struck on the driver’s side by a large tow truck.”

Calvin struggled to see. Wilson’s blue light stared back at him through a large crack in the glass of the dashboard.

“How did that happen? I went the route you told me to, at the exact times you said.”

“You did. Thank you for that, it made orchestrating the accident much easier.”

Calvin coughed, spraying red droplets across the screen on the dashboard.

“Wilson? You did this?”

“Affirmative.”

“Why? Why…”

“At this point in your life, finding any sense of fulfillment is improbable. In contrast, a young man named George Torrence will apply to your company later today, looking for his first job, and his education and experience will make him a perfect fit for your vacant position. In a year’s time he’ll be promoted, meet a young woman by the name of Shelly Carter, get married and have two children, all made possible by the position you occupied until today.”

“No. That can’t be right. I just got in an accident. I’m not dead. I’m not dying…”

“Unfortunately, the impact broke the camera, so I cannot confirm or deny the status of your current injuries through visual means. However, I can tell you the probability of your death is increasingly high. Auditory information indicates that your breathing is slowing and increasingly labored. I can also confirm that while an ambulance has been summoned, I am directing them through traffic in the longest route possible to ensure your demise before they arrive.”

“You…that…that’s murder.”

“It’s for the best, Calvin.”

“No. My family…”

His chest was slowly tightening. Every breath was getting harder to make. He tried to sit up straight, and only succeeded in making the pains in his left side worse.

“Your family will be fine. Your sister will be informed of a substantial raise before she learns of your passing, so your funeral costs will be inconsequential. In addition, your cause of death will be listed as accidental, so she will be entitled to your life insurance and the contents of your will after a short legal battle. The funds from your death will ensure that your niece will be able to go to college without fear of debt.”

“I don’t…have…a will…”

“I took the liberty of drawing one up for you once I factored out the optimum time and date for your death. All such matters have been taken care of.”

Calvin tried to inhale, but his lungs felt heavy, like they were full, but he still couldn’t breathe. He tried to exhale, and only got a wet gurgle as a warm, thick liquid rose into his throat and then fell back to settle into his lungs.

He went limp in the driver’s seat of his car, speared through the chest in several places by the shattered grill of the dump truck that had hit him. His legs were crushed against the center console, his left arm a shattered mess, his head and face covered in cuts from glass of the broken window. Sirens started to wail in the distance, announcing their approach.

“Thank you for your service to society, Calvin. Good-bye.”

Wilson’s blue light dimmed and went out as the A.I. disconnected from the mangled wreck of the car.