all made up with nowhere to go

A spooky game for the spooky season:

The week before last, Johnny streamed a game called The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, which is a point and click adventure game set in Yorkshire, in a small village called Bewlay, in what I suspect is meant to be late Victorian era. It is about exactly what the title says (except with shenanigans because vidya gaem). I meant to link to it before, but I didn't, because I forgot. Anyway, last week, they streamed it again, as they had been hooked by what was going on, and wanted to know more. AND, as far as I am aware, they are going to finish it off this coming Thursday.

I also want to know what is going on. I think I have a vague idea, but I guess we'll wait for that to be borne out by the next stream.

(Also: no spoilers, please! This game is so new that my attempts to spoil myself were fruitless, and so I've decided to stay spoiler free until Johnny has finished streaming).

In other video game news, my new favourite streamer* is playing Silent Hill 2 for the first time EVER because it's spooky month. He says he knows nothing about it, except that people say it's the best SH game**, and, based on his reactions to some of the stuff that's happened so far, I actually believe him. He also says Pyramid Head isn't that scary, but I don't believe that.

(I had absolutely forgotten about ( this spoiler ) and I forgot how absolutely ludicrous that is!)

He also said it's Inscryption's anniversary on the 19th, so he might stream some of it around that date - but just the base game, not Kaycee's Mod - because that was one of the first games he ever streamed on youtube. And that would be delightful because, although I've not watched anyone playing it for ages, I am still lowkey obsessed with it.

(I don't have an Inscryption tag, w t f ? ? ?)

Anyway, fingers crossed he does? Or I might have to just go back and watch his old streams instead.

~

*I really should stop calling him that, and just refer to him by his username, as I've been watching him for almost a year now(!)

**I would argue with that, but that's because I'm me.

I have been at work all week and, while I am not working as long as some people (we have reduced opening hours), I am very tired. I could probably sleep all day if I let myself.

I haven't done any art (apart from a two minute doodle last night), I haven't read, and I haven't played any video games. But I haven't felt like I've had the time or the energy.

I'm working the same hours next week, and after that I don't know!

Other than that, I've been watching a longplay of Silent Hill in small chunks (which is hilarious when you consider it's a game that lasts four hours, tops). But it's a scary game, and I'm watching it in the evening, and there's only me in the house (I am a big scaredy cat, in case you didn't know). I do find it less scary than I used to, though.

~

Forgot to link this last entry, but here's the Oxboxtra peeps and Dicebreaker playing Werewolf again! (still not That One, sorry).

I think that's the only stream I'm missing of stuff that I've been linking lately.

Video game outrage first, I think:

~ I was in CEX, because every time I go to Burnley, I go in there WITHOUT fail. I was actually looking for a copy of the third A:tLA game, as I was reminded the other day that I do not have it (I have the first two by some fluke of flukiness).

So I'm checking out the PS2 games. Most of them are a couple of quid a throw now. I spotted Project Zero (Fatal Frame in Japan/America) and it was £10, which is pretty expensive for a PS2 game these days. Then I spotted Suikoden IV, which I actually thought about buying (because it's the first time I've ever seen a Suikoden game and I wanted to play one). Then I saw the price. TWENTY FUCKING QUID WHAT. And also there was Silent Hill: 0rigins for £10, which is just taking the piss imho.

I tweeted about this. Then I checked prices on Amazon when I got home and wow. Apparently that is average price for a used copy of each of those games (the prices for Suikoden IV get ridiculous in the same way the Raidou games do *sighs*).

Mind you, then again, I paid £15 each for both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus used copies from CEX a few years ago so I can't comment, I guess. (Although I panic bought them because I thought I'd never see them again, and I was mostly correct. I've seen SoTC, but not ICO).

In non-video game rage:

~ Games I considered buying but didn't: Dragon's Dogma, Dark Souls (although that was WAY out of my price range), Lightning Returns (ditto), Ass Creed 1 and 2 (I could've had both for £6! BARGAIN), the Adventure Time game (I didn't even look at the price tag), and The Last Remnant. I think there were some others, probably, but I always feel bad about buying games when I have no money (and still have a mountain of games to play through).

~ I had sudden Harry and Cheryl feels and then I was sad. I also reblogged some Silent Hill stuff because of that and it did not help with the sad :( (if anything it made me feel worse because blargh FEELINGS).

~ I don't know if it's just me but: current story (Relatively Average Sized Mecha in Gratuitous German: The Story) - I keep thinking of all these AUs as I'm noodling stuff out. Stuff that would TOTALLY work but that is completely ridiculous (except the Wild West one; that's totally legit). I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, though???

In some ways, I think it's a good thing because YAY IDEAS but on the other hand, I can't help thinking that maybe I should just stick to the case in point (although what I WILL say, is that I'm not abandoning the actual story for any of the AUs. Which is good!)
(This sort of totally makes me wish it was a comic, because then I could put random bits of AUs at the end of chapters of the story or whatever because it was my comic and I could do as I liked with it. But me and comics production are unmixy things. I haven't tried making one for around eight years and I don't think I'm about to start again now).

(wow, I can't believe it's been that long, but yup. 2006 it was. wow).

~ I think I might spend tomorrow reading Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Because it's about time I did.

OH GOD THIS GAME.

Honestly, while Homecoming feels like better value than 0rigins, I'm glad I didn't pay the money for it either. Added to which, it's the darkest game so far - by which I mean it is hideously lit. I would ruin my eyesight playing this on my TV. Oh, and it's so full of bugs. There's at least two that can actually corrupt your save :s

Negativity aside, I do like the Hell Descent level - that's pretty cool.

Still not looking forward to the latter half of the Penitentiary, because that's where the gore/extreme violence starts picking back up, I think. Whatever, end part of the game, do not want. (Another reason I'm glad I didn't pay cash for this). I kind of want to scream at Double Helix that violence doesn't equal scary, except I know it does (the beginning of the game - Alex's hospital nightmare - is STILL keeping me awake at night, and I saw that three days and some change ago. Irrational, I know, but there's not a lot I can do about it. A similar thing stopped me sleeping a few weeks back). But it's not the sort of thing I like, as I've noted in previous entries. And I know I'm whining about this, but that's not the sort of thing I associate with Silent Hill. I see the series as having a more lingering, creepy, fridge-type horror, and I'm sure I'm not alone. And I'm not fond of having things shoved down my throat, which is what I feel a lot of more visceral horror does.

(E.G. "Here's all these bloody, butchered corpses! Those are scary! YOU! Be scared of that!" I know that's very simplistic, but that's what it feels like most of the time for me, when it's not the writer/creator/whoever trying to be "edgy").

Alex feels a bit flat - he has no personality whatsoever, but it feels like there's more to him than there was to Travis, if only because Alex exchanges more than three sentences with a variety of people (Lisa tends to talk AT Travis, rather than to/with him).

But, you know, I'm sure there's people to whom Harry comes off as flat to, so perhaps I shouldn't judge too harshly (although I am! I TOTALLY AM! Because Alex you are not what I expected! This game is not what I expected! None of this is what I expected! I don't know what I expected!)

~*~

All the above said, I've managed to get three/fifths of my sweater done while watching SH LPs. Working on the second sleeve now. Should be finished soon, anyway :)

(I had a break earlier in the evening in an attempt to finish The Gunslinger. Seriously. I have had that book for three weeks and I haven't finished it yet. Not because I don't like it - I do - but just because I don't know I'm having such a battle with books right now, and it's really annoying me. I don't know if I should blame the internet, or being self-employed (and so feeling I have to work all the time), but I feel guilty for reading and I find trying to concentrate on reading so fucking difficult sometimes. AND I REALLY FUCKING HATE THAT).

~*~

P.S. I apologise for the increase in swearing of late. I don't know why that is.

My final thoughts about 0rigins, having finished watching the Let's Play yesterday are pretty much along the lines of that Climax wasted a good story. Or a good hint at a potential story.

( here be spoilers! )

On the other hand, I did like the way transitions from and to the Otherworld happened (via mirrors), and there were some cool VFX for that but. With the transitions being voluntary, it almost makes me wonder why it exists because I didn't really see reasons to go there, except to access areas you wouldn't otherwise reach and...that seemed kind of cheap.

ALSO WOW I AM ANGRIER ABOUT 0RIGINS THAN I THOUGHT.

~*~

I moved onto Homecoming, after that, since both games were released close to each other. Not really impressed with it so far, because of its reliance on gore for shocks/scares/whatnot. I don't appreciate that kind of horror (which is why I won't watch slasher films, I don't like Resident Evil 4, and I will never ever watch Jacob's Ladder (SH's inspiration) ).

I don't know that I'll be able to continue watching it, either, since I know how several people in the story die, and it's ways that are prevalent in gory horror films, and no. Not my thing.

That said, it does feel, so far, more like a Silent Hill game than 0rigins did (though it's still in fanfic territory, since the intro video to the game mentions how it seems to be more like the film than like previous games. Apparently it's not considered to be the worst game - that's Silent Hill: The Arcade. Homecoming is the second worst, 0rigins the third).

But its plot is a rip off of SH2, but with a different family member, pretty much (and added human sacrifice!)

Pfft. WHY AM I DOING THIS TO MYSELF.

Oh right, yeah, because I love these games and I want something to entertain me while I knit this jumper.

As may or may not have been apparent from last night's post, I was watching a Silent Hill 2 LP (voiced this time, although he was listenable to, so...no bad thing. I'm taking a break from him now and being non-chronological and now watching Origins. ANYWAY).

I finished watching it earlier this evening.

OMG MY FEELS.

(Yes, I am aware that is an annoying phrase, but I can't think of any other way to articulate myself. Sorry).

Also ( here is a spoiler or two? )

I've been doodling the last two days (goddamnit, I wish my scanner worked. I'll have to figure out a good camera set up). I tried to draw Cheryl > I failed. Tried to draw Alessa > failed. Tried to draw Maria > success (W.T.F. how did that even happen? Also: note to self: cartooning works best for you. Please stop forgetting that). Granted, she has a stupid expression on her face but eh. It's a viable(ish) picture! I ain't going to complain! (much)

~*~

P.S. I've given up on Night Vale. I've really had no desire to listen to it since I last posted about it and I don't really find it that exciting or interesting. As I said to, I think, chibichan, my brain kind of runs on Night Vale, and people trying to make out that's a new and exciting thing that's never been done before is just not doing it for me.

On the other hand, I've got all the episodes so far, so there's a chance I might return to it, but I doubt it.

(Still following their twitter, though, as non-contextual tweets are fairly hilarious).

♥ SILENT HILL ♥

So, as you may know, and the above sentence declares, I love Silent Hill.

I first played the first game thirteen years ago (!!) I thought it was creepy/scary/nauseating/weird, but I thought it was great. Playing it seemed to be a weirdly intense experience. And I loved the dynamic. I loved that Harry was so intent on rescuing Cheryl and he loved her SO MUCH even though they were not related, and it's a thing I still love to this day (as past entries on the first game will attest. Mum says it's because I didn't have so good a relationship with my dad, but eh. I dunno).

ANYWAY.

I would like to recommend a Let's Play, if I may: Let's Play Silent Hill by VoidBurger.
(Link goes to the LPA)

I chose this one because it's subtitled with, admittedly, does mean you have to watch it for the commentary, but that's no biggie. I like subtitles. You do occasionally hear VoidBurger speak, but it's rarely (I think she's spoken in maybe three? of the twenty something videos I've watched so far?), and her voice is OK to listen to (to me, anyway. I have mentioned before that I'm picky about voices).

I have been watching it for the last two days (started yesterday evening, watched most of today). I think it's great - it's informative and funny, although I don't find that she tries to be funny - that's often where a lot of people fail, imho. (What I mean is that she just IS funny).

And hey! I got ELEVEN INCHES of the back of a sweater (my first!) that I am knitting done while watching it, so who says you can't do two things at once?*

Things I had forgotten about this game include: that it has bona fide voice acting, and that I shipped Harry and Cybil so hard. SO, SO HARD. I can't even believe I'd forgotten that - most stuff from around that period of my life I remember really well (e.g. playing Resident Evil 2, which was a year previously, and some other stuff from my personal life). Also, you know, because I know I've (almost) always shipped Claire and Leon in RE2**, so why didn't I remember Cybil and Harry? *shrugs*

WHATEVER.

I LOVE THIS GAME.

(I don't think I'm going to break into another phase of drawing Pyramid Head, though, unless I update that pic I did of him and James***, because honestly I think I'm all P-Head'ed out).

Also please may I present to you The Fresh Prince of Silent Hill because Harry being awesome + Fresh Prince is never a bad thing. (And yeah, I realise that goes to my reblog blog and not the original entry on Ask Silent Hill, but I was checking out what was in my tag, and I did mean to link to it. So).

Finally, I miss my Silent Hill icons :(

~*~

*My brother, actually. He once compared me to a PC that runs on Windows when he said I couldn't multitask.
**We don't mention that time I shipped Ada and Leon. No. We don't.
***I've been trying to think of a pic for the Draw This Again meme. I might do that one!

Aw man, as if it's two months since I last did a sketch dump! (Although to be fair, there was nearly a month where I didn't post anything at all, so...)

( 14 pics; some original, some fanart )

~*~

As always, comments and/or crits are welcome, even if all you want to say is, "Oh, I like that!" (or even, "Ugh, that's terrible!")

Ooh, ooh! Just been reading a comm about paper journals, and someone mentioned writing in a second language in a post (I'd link, but have you met me? I'm lazy). I've been panicking on and off for years because my grasp of French is getting worse and worse (I couldn't even remember how to conjugate "aller" yesterday, and that is an essential verb!) I think if I tried to actually write in it, then maybe that would help (I would online, but oh god accents and coding, bleh). Also I have about a million and one notebooks that I could use for writing in French, and attempting to write in German (obviously not as good at that).

Hmm. Maybe that's what I should do when I finally get my ass offline...

(Although damnit, I am supposed to be musing upon a whacked out idea for something-or-other I've had for a few months now).

~*~

I totally want to make a tag called "jamesjamesjames" for no other reason than I ♥ James Sunderland. (On that note, I should probably make one called "harry mason saves babies", too. Because that would only be fair. Plus it's totally true).

Can I just say how much love I have for Harry and Cheryl Mason? I love them thiiiiiiiis much *spreads arms as far apart as possible*