Dark Pictures: Anthology - Devil In Me

Devil in Me is one of four games and the season finale in the Dark Pictures: Anthology series developed by Supermassive Games. The story is based on HH Homes Murder Castle. The story follows a group of documentary film makers who receive a mysterious call inviting them to a modern-day replica of HH Holmes’ ‘Murder Hotel’. But on arrival, the crew soon discovers they’re being watched and even manipulated, and suddenly there’s much more at stake than just their ratings!

  

The Devil in Me encourages the player to put their problem-solving skills to good use, as the game includes puzzles. You’ll need to find codes hidden or disguised in the world, untangle old fuse boxes, and find your way out of mazes, and failure might prove to be very costly. Like other games in the series, you control their fate, whether they live or die.

 

There are rewards, but what is more interesting about this one is the collection of videos about H.H. Homes that you will need to find throughout the game. If you find them all, you can view a small documentary about him, which can be found in the bonus features.

So who was H.H. Homes? Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, was an American swindler and confidence trickster who is widely considered the country’s first known serial killer. Mudgett moved to Chicago and took a job as a pharmacist under the name "Dr. HH. Homes." He built a house for himself, later known as "Murder Castle," which was equipped with trapdoors, secret passages, and soundproof rooms with doors that could be locked from the outside. Mudgett confessed to 27 murders, which he later increased to 130. Some researchers, however, have claimed the real number exceeds 200.

To gain the platinum will require more than one playthrough, and for some, it may actually require a walkthrough, but overall, it is not bad but not great either. The dialog can become tedious as there is no option to skip when replaying the game. Some trophies can be a little more tricky but still achievable, but I see it as more of a glitch problem than anything else. Like the task of collecting crime scene photos, there is no way of tracking how many you have or need, and most annoyingly, you spend too much time trying to find the right angle. Overall, it's a pretty decent list, but questionable on some things. 

Trophy List Rating 7 - Say what now?

 

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Final Fantasy XVI - Best Game of 2023

 

Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XVI is the best game for 2023, in my opinion, and no other game comes close. Yet, it was snubbed by the game awards, and "Game of the Year" went to "Baldur''s Gate 3". Now, admittedly, I did not play it and was never interested in playing it or being interested in any of these games. The same could be said for Final Fantasy 7, as I barely touched it, so what changed?

Square Enix actually turned the industry upside down with their demo, which brought in a number of new Final Fantasy players. When the demo was released on PS5, it blew every other game out of the park and streamed all over the world while gamers eagerly hit that pre-order button. It was new and refreshing—not a remake or a seconds. This game should have won every award across the board, including all the voice actors in this game who all brought these characters to life.

Final Fantasy XVI being snubbed so much by the game awards makes me feel irritated that games are being given accolades that are not worthy and put on pedestals that should be knocked over. The same thing happened with Horizon Zero Dawn and Ghost of Tsushima—new games being snubbed for seconds. I'm not saying remakes should not happen; hell, I loved the Dead Space remake and loved playing the game, but seriously, whatever the agenda with the game awards, it's getting old, as is everything they stand for, because this isn't about games anymore.

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Attack on Titan - Greatest Anime Ever Written

Attack on Titan is a masterpiece of writing, and it has achieved something no other anime has ever come close to. The story itself starts with three young Eldayen children who live in an open-air prison known as Paradise, which is surrounded by a massive wall, but their lives are terrorized by giants (Titans), who will taunt and kill them for no reason. All these people want is their freedom—the freedom to live their lives outside the walls of Paradise. So who are these Titans? Why are they there? What is their purpose? And where did it all begin?

Art by Waywayart

The debate alone on the First Titan (Founding Titan) and how it started was so simple yet complex that it started a world-wide debate on how, why, and where the strange organism came from that created the Titans, and this is only the back story to Attack On Titan. The story is very dark and really not meant for kids but in reality it fits in well with our own world today, so for context lets look at what Titans are and were they came from. 

So who was the first Titan?

2,000 years prior to Eren (Main character in the story). There was a war between tribes, and like all wars, it was the victims who suffered, as in ancient times most were taken as slaves. Ymir, a 10-year-old young girl, was one of many children taken after their village was destroyed. Fritz was the ruler of the Eldayens, who were only a small tribe at the time when he slaughtered them, then he made the children his slaves and had their tongues removed so they could not speak or scream.

One day she did the unthinkable and released some pigs from their pen in an effort to free them; however, when it was revealed that Ymir had done this, he ordered his men to hunt her down. Injured and alone, she took shelter under a large tree. Not realizing the soil was soft, she fell into a sinkhole filled with water. where a strange organism, a centipede-like creature, fused itself onto her spinal cord, turning her into a Titan (founding titan).

                                                                                      

Ymir was young and loyal to Fritz, so she returned with her newly found ability to serve him. For her loyalty, Frits took her as a wife, but only to produce children that he hoped would have this same Titan ability. He never really cared about Ymir; she was nothing more than a concubine to help his need for power and control. Then 13 years after she gained the ability, she died protecting Fritz after an assassination attempt on his life by Marleyan solders.

Fritz was so fearful of losing the Titan Power that he demanded their children eat Ymir's dead corpse to so enemies would never attack them but this was only about Fritz. He wanted them to reproduce and multiply and continue to eat the spines of their decedents13 years after they gained the ability, whether dead or not, he wanted to continue the blood line, and so it went on. Through Ymir's death, her decedents gained her power, which was split into nine titans, and her soul was trapped in purgatory. As the story progresses, it is clear that until all Titans become one vessel, only then can she be released from purgatory.

So who are the nine Titans?

The Nine titans were spawned by the direct descendants of Ymir and Fritz and were only held and used by the noble families of Eldia. They were known as the Founding Titan, Beast Titan, Attack Titan, Armored Titan, Colossal Titan, Female Titan, Cart Titan, Jaw Titan, and Warhammer Titan. 

The Nine Titans went on to destroy the ancient city of Marley to fulfill Fritz's dream of an Eldian Empire. For many years following their victory, they lived in relative peace. However, Eldia began to fall apart due to various nobles being in constant conflict as conspiracy and betrayal overshadowed the need for peace. Though the Founding Titans family tried to keep the peace between the other noble families, they started to turn on each other to control the other eight Titans, which eventually turned into the Great Titan War. 

So this brings us to today's events: the Titan War, which has been over for hundreds of years. The titans who roam the land wonder aimlessly, killing anything that moves with no motive or reasoning. So why are they there? What will happen to the people of Paradise? And how will it end? For the sake of spoilers, I will end it here for anyone who may come across this blog and who has not yet watched the show.

The story of Attack on Titans, written by Hajime Isayama, has sold over 140 million copies worldwide and has won many awards. The story has been told through the manga, which went on to become the greatest anime ever written. From the manga, anime, video games, and theme parks, people have loved and lived the life of Eldayen's and their journey through generations, seen through the characters we came to love and some hate. Their lives and stories can define and break you, and they teach us that our own world is the same in many ways. 

Posted by Valkiaria 

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Days Gone - Underrated and Untouchable

Days Gone by Bend Studio is one of the most underrated games and was overly criticized; like Assassins Creed Unity, it was destroyed in one day. Critics play a game for five minutes, then destroy it in one. They want everything tied up in a bow while putting some games on pedestals because it's their favorite game. They then destroy others by throwing a tantrum. Not only was Days Gone underrated, but it never got the sequel it deserved because of some overzealous critics trying to make a name for themselves instead of reviewing the game fairly. If you want to call yourself a critic, then play the game from start to finish. I get that some reviewers like to review games based on their own opinions, but critics are a different breed. I also notice some critics put a game on a pedestal, giving it a 10 when it's obviously a 7. This doesn't make the game bad; it makes the game average. Games like Ghost of Tsushima and Horizon Zero Dawn were not only new IPs; they did something new and brought new mechanics to the game. They told a great story, and the graphics were phenomenal. Voice actors brought the characters to life, and developers gave us the adrenaline we needed. 

Trophy Hunters Delight

Days gone is one of the most fun games I have ever played. As far as the trophy list goes, it joined other games like Ghost of Tsushima as the top trophy lists in the last decade. Getting that shiny platinum felt like winning the lottery; the feeling of achieving that trophy while having fun doing it is something you don't experience with every game. 

Days gone did everything right. from the trophy list to the in-game trophy tracker, which was perfect for trophy hunters. The story may not be an 10/10 and more of a 8/10 but everything else exceeds a 10. It had some bugs, so as most games do, that's why we have updates. Days Gone is the best zombie game I have played, and I had the most fun with it. The only thing missing from this game was co-op. Taking on hoards with friends would have been the ultimate gift. 

One Percenter

To get that shiny platinum so aptly named, you are doing what the game intended. Learning the mechanics, build up your skills, take on challenges, and the most fun is taking out the hoards and having a blast etc. If only every trophy list could make you feel so driven. Even the name of the Platinum Trophy makes you feel empowered; you are playing a game, you are in control, you take out the hoards, and you are the survivor and the hero. 

What I loved most about this game is that it directed you, so that you knew, exactly what was expected of you.  I don't need my hand held I simply need to know what the game wants. It was fun working things out for yourself, and the trophy tracker kept you in the loop without having to constantly look it up to see what you needed. Let's also talk about replay value. I have already played the game several times, and it never gets old.

This will be the first game I would actually give a trophy list 10+ because it did everything right and actually cared about trophy hunters enough to include them when developing this game. We don't want to be the reason to play we want to be included.

Trophy List Rating 

Untouchable 10 

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Can gaming be beneficial or is it an excuse to do nothing.

People often ask me why I play games and what can possibly be gained from them. Playing games can help us in our daily lives and how we lead and share. We learn to work in a team, communication skills, creativity, problem-solving skills, and social skills.

Time Management 

Time management is the process of organizing and planning how to separate your time between different tasks and activities. So when you are playing, whether alone or in a team, you are learning how to best utilize your time, which can be used as part of your daily life between work, school, home, and playing.

Working as a team

Teamwork is not only important to the success of winning games or beating bosses but also essential for multiplayer games. It often requires players to deal with difficult issues and obstacles quickly under stress, and as they play, their social skills are also improving. Teamwork allows us to be more creative, as the different perspectives and skills of each person in the team can lead to a combination of thoughts.

Problem Solving 

No matter what your play style or the games you play, like puzzle games or role-playing games, some games push us to our limits. and become so challenging that we need to stay focused and learn to adapt to the changing dynamics of the game. Playing games is not just about winning. It's about doing more, learning the game, the mechanics, and getting through levels to complete puzzles and reach your goal.

  Cultural Awareness

Misinterpretation can be the defining moment between two people. If we don't understand their beliefs, then we become nauseating to that person. When playing with others from different cultures, you learn about them, their ways, their beliefs, and even some of their language. Likewise they learn about us and it gives us a sense of belonging.  

Sense of Achievement 

So the next time someone criticizes you for playing a game remember these important points.  I'm not suggesting games are the be-all and end-all of our way of life, but neither is sitting on a couch watching daytime TV. Games give us something more—a way to communicate, laugh, cry, and become motivated. Sometimes we lose, but when we finish that game, it changes our behavior, and our mood. . 

Everyone has something that they enjoy, whether indoors or outdoors, so before you criticize someone for playing games, count the hours you spend in your cozy chair watching TV with nothing to show for it.

Posted by  Valkiaria

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