The Evil Within Review: Survival Horror Gets A Satisfying New Game

“There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” FDR’s most poignant statement rings true here, but The Evil Within gives way more things to be afraid of. Shinji Mikami‘s one of gaming’s most prolific developers thanks to this work on the Resident Evil series. His newest survival horror adventure adopts the best elements of his former games and offers in a brand new package that’s equal parts terrifying and enjoyable.

The Evil Within’s plot is pretty hard to fit into one simple summary. From the start of the game, you take control of a veteran police detective by the name of Sebastian Castellanos.  Sebastian and his allies in the force respond to a distress call from an insane asylum. Upon their arrival, they come upon a gory scene and a mysterious individual with frightening abilities. Sebastian is forced to deal with all the puzzling horrors that populate his physical and mental being as he looks to discover this powerful villain. The story doesn’t become quite clear for a while, which can be annoying for some. Moving through each chapter means will get you closer and closer to the overall storyline, but getting there definitely takes some time.

The Evil Within

The game’s mechanics should be a breeze to anyone who’s played Resident Evil 4 and its long list of successors. Sebastian is controlled from a behind-the-back, 3rd-person viewpoint. As you should expect, the aiming/shooting controls are mapped comfortably to the shoulder buttons. Sebastian’s arsenal includes a pistol, a shotgun, a sniper rifle and a very special crossbow that goes by the moniker of “Agony.” Shooting down dozens of haunting creatures feels very satisfying and visceral, as you have the ability to aim at different body parts. Performing one hit melee kills also feels great (in a sick and twisted sort of way).

The Evil Within ditches the run and gun gameplay of Resident Evil’s post-survival horror status and adopts its more traditional survival horror antics. Ammo is scarce, there are rare moments of sunshine, plenty of violent goons are on your tail and mind-bending puzzles await you at various intervals. You’ll no doubt get sucked into the madness that takes over Sebastian at times. Moving into the plane where you upgrade and save is a harrowing but memorable experience all unto itself. The rest of the game’s jump scares and intense boss encounters guarantee you’ll be on edge but also be in the middle of having fun.

The Evil Within

The biggest issue with The Evil Within comes from its graphical hiccups from time to time. As cut scenes begin, it’s hard not to notice the texture pop-in and rough visuals. The dark interiors and heart wrenching environments fit the mood of the game, but they appear to be a bit rough and unfinished. The monster designs are nothing to scoff at though. Once you set your eyes on a certain deformed canine and relentless female creature, you won’t ever forget them. It’s just too bad that the graphics take a hit from time to time during the more involved scenes of the game. As for the sound, everything is just right in the audio department. Getting entrenched in this survival horror adventure feels even better with headphones on.

The Evil Within

The Evil Within is a quality horror adventure that revives the feeling of dread and unimaginable fear that was present during Resident Evil’s early beginnings. While the plot takes a bit long to start becoming clear and the visual hiccups are damaging, the overall experience here should be experienced. You’ll want to discover every creepy crawly and disturbed nightmare that lies within The Evil Within.


 Images: Tango Gameworks, Bethesda Games

Female Robin Carrie Kelley Cast for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?

On top of the huge news that came from Warner Bros. regarding the future lineup of DC Comics films comes this huge rumor – Batman’s most trusty sidekick may make an appearance. And she (yes, we just said SHE) may have already been cast.

So where did this rumor come from? A news report stated that one of the film’s background talents divulged a few details about what additional superheroes may pop up. One of them is Batman’s most revered partner-in-crimefighting, Robin, who is rumored to be the Carrie Kelley version of the character. For those of you out there who’ve read The Dark Knight Returns, this news should come as an exciting surprise. This rumor could have some more legitimacy placed behind it due to the film being heavily inspired by Frank Miller’s epic miniseries.

So who’s the lucky lady rumored to be donning Robin’s outfit? The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’s own Jena Malone! Miss Malone has also done some TV and movie work in Law & Order (as Michelle Landon), Sucker Punch (as Rocket) and Time Out of Mind (as Maggie).

Jena Malone in 2011's SUCKER PUNCH.
Jena Malone in 2011’s SUCKER PUNCH.

Another cool tidbit that emanated from the Batman v Superman’s ongoing production revolves around Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) crossing paths.  A scene is being prepped within the Michigan State University campus’ art museum that could set up the problems that exist between two of DC’s most powerful men.

 

We’re hoping this latest Batman v Superman rumor rings true. We’re looking forward to seeing Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the announced DC characters show up. We’d be even more ecstatic to watch the Dark Knight jump across rooftops with a female Robin in tow.

What do you think of Carrie Kelley as Robin in the film, or Jena Malone playing the character? Sound off in the comments below and join the discussion at the Grizzlybomb Facebook page!


 Images: DC Comics, Warner Bros. Pictures 

RetroN 5 – The Ultimate Console For Retro Gaming?

People love looking back to the past and the older you get, the more desirable the days gone by can seem. How else can you explain the constant rebooting, remaking and continuing of franchises in pop culture affairs? Sure, some of it is laziness and the fact that it’s easier to continue on with an old concept than embark on a new one, but it’s not all that.  It is the fact that a key audience are already exists for these products. The memories of our youth and the thrill we got in experiencing these forms of entertainment for the first time makes us want to relive those moments again. That is why retro gaming continues to be popular among most gamers, a time when limited technology meant limited graphics, but not necessarily limited ideas, and certainly not limited game play.

To satisfy this demand for past gaming experiences you can use three methods. One is buying up all the old consoles themselves, games and all, and experiencing them first hand.  A huge amount of space is required for this endeavor however, so the second option is using combined gaming packages and emulators? Emulators tend to lose some of the appeal that a hard console would have, while gaming pack deals (like the 10 in 1 style systems) only give a limited range of games to play. This is where option three comes in -the RetroN 5 console.

retroN 5 console 1

The RetroN 5 is a multi-gaming consoles that has the capacity to play this wide range of games. The list includes the original Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom, Super Nintendo, Super Famicom, Genesis, Mega Drive, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and the Game Boy Advance. As you will have noticed this includes both international and UK versions of the consoles meaning finally UK users can play Genesis carts without having to clumsily put them onto other carts, or downloading them onto the computer. There are ports included to plug in the original controllers for the SNES, Genesis and NES as well as having their own control pad.

retroN 5 console 2

It looks slightly cumbersome and has some harsh corners to it, but it is Bluetooth enabled and the design is kind of irrelevant when you can plug a retro controller in anyway. It also has an SD card inside to save images, stats and upload cheat patches. Oh yes, there are cheats included in this package to just like the old days! It even has a Game Genie cheat cart built into it, meaning an easier way to start skipping levels on games. And the HD cable link up gives a crisper image on all your games automatically.

retroN 5 console 3

The console design looks quite sleek, with a slightly Tron style vibe to it all. It comes in two colors, black and white and for having so many ports for games, the overall console is quite tightly wrapped together. Prices vary but it seems to retail for about $159.99 or roughly £119.99 for UK users (but sales in the UK seem to be limited). For what is basically five consoles in one, it’s a pretty solid price, and it’s available to purchase now. If you want to study the console in more detail you could visit the official website or the Hyperkin site and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.

Whether you get one will all depend on how strong the allure of the past is, but retro gamers would be well advised to check it out.


Images: Hyperkin , RetroN 5

Harmontown: You Will Believe A Man Can Self Destruct!

I have a long and personal history with Dan Harmon’s work, and in a lot of ways, this documentary is a culmination of my fandom for him growing to its absolute peak. That is to say, the work of Dan Harmon is something I’ve always loved, even before I knew his name. You’re most likely familiar with his most famous work, Community. A lot has been written about that show, and with it, Dan Harmon. The two are kind of inseparable, which is what creates such an interesting pretense for a documentary: What happens to an artist when his creation is taken from him?

While this is a documentary that certainly does tell that story, the main focus is on Mr. Harmon. It’s his self-destruction, heartache for the loss of his own show, and the eclectic people who have all been touched in one way or another by Dan Harmon’s work that creates the backbone of the movie. We follow the tour he takes in response to being fired from his own show, and what we see is a condensed version of scenes from his popular and eponymous podcast Harmontown. So this documentary is really for two sets of fans; Fans who love Community and want to know more about its creator, and fans of his podcast. I’m personally in the latter, and I was giddy to watch this film. In a nutshell, it’s exactly what I expected. The podcast in a movie form, with a semi-narrative that accurately captures the spirit of the tour, and of Dan Harmon himself. He’s a tortured mad genius poet, who cannot accept his own success, and seems to self-sabotage. But it’s great! It’s cathartic to watch a man slowly – over the course of his tour – take some time to think about who he really is, who his fans are, and what that connection truly means to him, and to his fans in turn.

If you’re a Harmonite like me, you don’t need convincing to watch this movie, not really. If you’re in the camp of fans who only know him as the creator of Community, I’m honestly jealous of you. Along with the wonderful podcast (which is basically the long form version of lots of this film), this movie is a deep exploration of how insidious self loathing is. It shows us the real trials of being a very demanding artist who is willing to burn everything around him to create from his soul. It’s a passion and a drive that is respectable and admirable, even if ultimately unhealthy.

Harmontown

And unhealthy it is. Don’t get me wrong, this documentary is not favorable to Dan Harmon. It’s quite unflinching in its portrayal of his relationship with his girlfriend, who sits back and casually receives verbal abuse from Harmon that would cut others to ribbons. If there’s one thing to look for in the film, it’s how even though Harmon is a broken, sad, tortured man, he’s still managed to find someone who loves him for who he is. It’s a beautiful message and one of the more subtle ones told in the film. We mainly see the film through the perspective of a young Dungeons And Dragons player (“A Dungeon MASTER”, as he exclaims in the film) named Spencer Crittenden. He’s our “everyman” in the documentary, and as much as I love Spencer in the film, the focus is clearly on Harmon.

Harmontown is a documentary that shows us how over long periods of time, with enough mental work, enough patience and enough time, we can rise out of the ditches of self-loathing we all dig for ourselves. I can’t think of anything more heart wrenching than having your creation ripped away from you and given to others to continue working on, and the effect it has on Harmon is gripping. He’s a polarizing man for sure, but I guess in a lot of ways so am I, and so are a lot of Harmontown fans. I think that’s something that I, Harmonites, and Dan Harmon himself have all discovered together, and that’s pretty damn magical.


Images: Harmontown, The Orchard

Warner Bros. Releases DC Film Slate, Ten Movies Coming By 2020

Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara spoke at their annual investors meeting, where he revealed a little more about the studio’s plans for their DC Comic properties. Those plans consist of ten movies being released from 2016 to 2020, and include the confirmation of a few things we already suspected.

The slate goes as follows:

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