The foundation for unique horror was laid by Silicon Knights’ Eternal Darkness back on the Gamecube, yet it was never built upon, which to this day feels like a truly missed opportunity. While other genres have advanced and grown, it seems horror has merely been merged into a sub genre of action. It seems strange that Nintendo’s Wii, a console geared towards family and children, is home to the most pure horror titles this generation. The Xbox 360 and PS3 have a massive void waiting to be filled in the horror genre.

Horror took a nose dive after Resident Evil 4 – with more and more horror franchises and IPs going the route of action-horror

There have been a few horror titles in the past that were fantastic, such as Monolith Productions’ Condemned. It didn’t depend on jump scares like some of the more recent horror titles (F.E.A.R. 2 and 3, I’m looking at you). Instead, Condemned offered an intense atmosphere and an impending sense of dread and mystery wrapped into one fantastically creepy video game experience. It also featured one of the most memorable final bosses of modern gaming. Condemned came out at the start of the current generation and seemed like a sign of things to come, however, things went a bit pear shaped.

Horror took a nose dive after Resident Evil 4 – with more and more horror franchises and IPs going the route of action-horror. Silent Hill was once the pinnacle of horror. Unfortunately, even that franchise fell victim to the idea of action-before-horror with the release of Homecoming. While this trend offered an aspect of horror, it wasn’t a very strong aspect and failed to scare due to the player being more than capable of defeating said horror with a pull of the trigger.

Today’s games offer no sense of menace anymore as the only horror titles available now tend to drive towards action. The player is placed in a position in which they are armed to the teeth and able to take on anyone or anything. Silent Hill: Homecoming felt almost alien from the rest of the franchise as Alex Sheppard could take out his enemies in a very effective manner. The player now has the advantage and thus the sense of terror and menace is instantly gone.

Even Condemned 2 went the way of action-horror with the game progressing into yet another first person shooter. This was a true sign that even the last beacon of genuine horror on the consoles was gone.

As action-horror games become increasingly popular, the question to ask is, are they all bad? The answer to that question is no. The F.E.A.R. franchise has done a decent job of combining horror and action into an effective mix. The first in the series was by far the best example of horror and action coming together. The horror in F.E.A.R. took inspiration from Asian cinema as it used creepy child demon Alma to jump scare and stalk players throughout the game. While the horror was quite reliant on jump scares, there was a decent amount of creepy imagery and audio that was spliced into the intense action. Although it wasn’t the horror that laid the scares on thick and fast in the fashion of classic horror titles, F.E.A.R. did manage to prove that both horror and action could be combined well on modern day consoles.

Another surprising title that also managed to bring elements from classic horror games to modern systems was Valve’s Left 4 Dead. While the game was fast and furious and didn’t contain any dark atmosphere, it did contain a broad sense of panic and doubt to whether you would survive or not. The world that Left 4 Dead was set in also contained some classic elements of horror with locations seemingly void of population (until the infected turned up) and the great use of audio (for example the screams of the Hunters that prowl on the rooves above you).

Of course, it would be unfair not to mention Resident Evil 5 (aka Resident Evil 4.5) when talking about combination of action and horror that works. However, Resident Evil 5 went slightly off course towards the end of the game and threw itself into all out action with little to no scares or even many horror elements.

The potential for fantastic horror is immense and there is a market crying out for it. Both the 360 and the PS3 have proven they can render fantastic environments and visuals that suck a player in and keep them hooked, yet both systems have not shown current generation horror at its finest.

With a few years left for the current consoles, perhaps there’s still hope for a true return to pure horror video games, a hope I cling onto.  There is a slight return of familiar horror franchises in the shape of Silent Hill: Down Pour and the Kinect title, Rise of Knightmares. Hopefully, those titles will bring the horror back.

Light gun games on consoles were a mixed bag, obviously the buzz of the packed arcade was detracted and the social aspect lowered, with games either feeling too light in content or just feeling rather dull to play. But there were some sparkling examples of games that made the cross over well, such as House of the Living Dead 2 on the Dreamcast, this was always a great game to pick up and play either solo or with friends. Its  unique co-op experience is under appreciated in today’s modern multiplayer formalities.

Booting up House of the Living Dead 2 armed with my light gun is a memory I’ve always looked back on when talking about light guns and arcade shooters.  The game was a fantastic light gun experience that played just as well on the Dreamcast as it did in the arcade. The official Dreamcast light gun was nothing short of brilliant (the VMU unit added some nice little touches). It had a good weight to it, it was able to take punishment (rage throws to the floor after a cheap death) and was responsive.  Playing light gun games with Playstation Move and the Wii motes feels like a pale imitation. This isn’t to say the Move or the Wii doesn’t work or is particularly bad, they just feel rather soulless compared to using a brightly coloured light gun, which feels almost natural while playing the game.

While light gun games are disappearing and/or are merged into the first person shooter genre (for example Killzone 3) it would be nice to see a little more activity in the genre.  There are of course the few bastions carrying the torch for light gun titles in today’s market, such as the fantastic House of the Dead: Overkill, but these games are far and few between. While the light gun is set to become something of a relic, and the genre either obsolete or merged into another genre, it should be remembered and treasured for being one of the most fun video game experiences to date. While the arcades have all but gone (in the UK anyway) and video games now strive towards motion control, I will always look back at the light gun with a sense of joy and regret. Joy for the great times I had with a light gun in my hand, be it in the arcade blasting zombies in House of the Dead with my father or playing the Dreamcast equivalent alone in my room, it was always fun to play.

The regret is that within a year or so light gun games will be all but gone; a mere relic of days gone by. While this realization is disheartening, I can rest in the knowledge that playing my light gun collection is merely a press of a button away.

It was also revealed that while players will start the game as a human, they will — at some point in the game — be transformed and join a non-human tribe. Dragon Quest X is currently set for release sometime next year.

Source: VG247

Nintendo 3DS

2K Play
Nicktoons MLB 3D – March

Capcom
Resident Evil® Revelations – Feb. 7

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
METAL GEAR SOLID® 3D Snake Eater – Q1
Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 – January

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
TEKKEN 3D Prime Edition™ – February
Tales of the Abyss® – Feb. 14

Nintendo
Kid Icarus: Uprising – March 23

Published by SEGA® of America
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games™ – Feb. 14

SEGA® of America
CRUSH™3D – Q1

Ubisoft
NCIS The Video Game (Based on the TV Series) – March 6
Horses 3D – March 6
Funky Barn – Q1
Rayman® Origins – Q1

 

Nintendo eShop

Collecting Smiles
Colors! 3D – Q1

Nicalis
VVVVVV – Q1
NightSky – Q1

Nintendo
Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword – Q1
Dillon’s Rolling Western – Q1
Kirby’s Block Ball™ – Q1

Renegade Kid
Mutant Mudds – Q1

Shin’en Multimedia
Fun! Fun! Minigolf TOUCH – Q1
Jett Rocket Super Surf – Q1

WayForward
Mighty Switch Force – Q1

Zen Studios
Zen Pinball – Q1

 

Wii

2K Sports
MLB 2K12 – March 6

GameMill Entertainment
Country Dance™ Special Edition – Feb. 1

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Karaoke Joysound – Q1

Nintendo
Rhythm Heaven Fever – Feb. 13
PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond – Feb. 27
Mario Party 9 – March 11

 

WiiWare™

Nicalis
La Mulana – Q1

 

Nintendo DS™ Family

2K Sports
MLB 2K12 – March 6

ATLUS
Shin Megami Tensei®: Devil Survivor™ 2 – February

GameMill Entertainment
Silverlicious™ – March 20
Xia Xia™ – March 20
Gogo’s Crazy Bones™ – March 20

Mentor Interactive
Chess for Kids – Feb. 14
NARABA: The Labyrinth of Light – Feb. 21
NARABA: The Mysterious Palace – Feb. 21

Nintendo DSiWare™

Cosmigo
Box Pusher – Q1

Cypronia
Cake Ninja – Q1

Source: Kotaku

The trailer includes the traditional game styles, but also details the new Predator technology used in the game to make it a more realistic experience. New features include a 40 man Royal Rumble, new Create A Wrestler sets, and something fans have been clambering for years, the Create An Arena mode. Finally, you can have a grapple in surroundings you feel comfortable in, simply because you decorated it so beautifully.

Also there’s a glimpse of the downloadable wrestlers you’ll be able to add to your rosters over the coming months including Randy Savage, Mick Foley, Vader, Batista and Brock Lesnar. No sign of Chris Jericho though…HMMMM.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Along with the trailer, TT Games have also released brand new screenshots for you to look over, the screenshots come in three flavours:

Nintendo DS:

Nintendo 3DS:

Xbox 360:

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 will hit Muggle stores November 18 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, and PC.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s not specific as to which platforms it will be accessible from, but in the US it currently streams video content onto the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii. Residents of the UK know that the closest competitor is LOVEfilm, which already streams to the PS3, and is also due to be launched onto the Xbox as part of their new TV lineup.

The pricing structure, details of content and relevant information of platforms it will utilise, will be announced closer to it’s launch.

Other notable new-entries include Football Manager 2012 (no. 3), The Sims 3: Pets (no. 6), Rockstar’s Game of the Year edition of Red Dead Redemption (no. 36) and Dance Central 2  (no. 40)

Here’s the top ten:

1. Batman: Arkham City
2. FIFA 12
3. Football Manager 2012
4. Forza Motorsport 4
5. Just Dance 3
6. The Sims 3: Pets
7. Pro Evolution Soccer 2012
8. Rage
9. Zumba Fitness
10. Gears of War 3

If you answered no to both of those questions this game won’t be tickling your fancy any time soon.

To those who answered yes, a trailer for “The Black Eyed Peas Experience” has been released and “the future of dance games” looks rather bleak in my opinion.

Of course, I haven’t played the game so I can’t judge the book by it’s cover however you can see for yourself below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The track list is as follows:

1. 2 Unlimited – No Limit

2. a-ha – Take On Me

3. Anja – Dance All Nite

4. Bananarama – Venus

5. Black Eyed Peas – Pump It

6. Bollywood Rainbow – Kurio ko uddah le jana

7. Cee Lo Green – Forget You

8. Countdown Mix Masters – Beautiful Liar

9. Daft Punk – Da Funk

10. Danny Elfman – This is Halloween

11. Donna Summer – I Feel Love

12. Dr. Creole – Baby Zouk

13. Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand

14. Girls Aloud – Jump (For My Love)

15. Groove Century – Boogie Wonderland

16. Gwen Stefani – What You Waiting For

17. Inspector Marceau – The Master Blaster

18. Janelle Monae – Tightrope (Solo Version)

19. Jessie J featuring B.o.B – Price Tag

20. Brahms by Just Dance Classical Orchestra – Hungarian Dance No. 5

21. Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg – California Gurls

22. Kiss – I Was Made For Lovin’ You

23. Konshens – Jamaican Dance

24. African Ladies – Pata Pata

25. Latino Sunset – Mamasita

26. Laura Bell Bundy – Giddy On Up (Giddy On Out)

27. Lena Meyer-Landrut – Satellite

28. LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock – Party Rock Anthem

29. Madness – Night Boat To Cairo

30. MIKA – Lollipop

31. Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland – Promiscuous

32. Pointer Sisters – I’m So Excited

33. Queen – Crazy Little Thing Called Love

34. Reggaeton Explosion – Boom

35. Rita Mitsouko – Marcia Baila

36. Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman – Somethin’ Stupid

37. Scissor Sisters – I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’

38. Sweat Invaders – Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)

39. Taio Cruz – Dynamite

40. The Buggles – Video Killed The Radio Star

41. The Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy Hey Girl

42. The Girly Team – Baby One More Time

43. The London Theatre Orchestra & Cast – Think

44. The Sugarhill Gang – Apache (Jump On It)

45. Tommy Sparks – She’s Got Me Dancing

46. Wilson Pickett – Land of 1000 Dances

EDIT: Apparently the game was released yesterday for Wii and Xbox 360 in Europe however the PS3 version isn’t out until December 8th.