While horror/thriller/suspense themed Hidden Object games may not lend themselves to the sort of scares that you'd get from a motion picture, some of them can have still provide engaging atmosphere and characters... FBI Agent Claire Ellery is assigned to investigate a simple open and shut kidnapping case... but her tendency to attract strange cases soon causes events that propel her down a much more sinister path.  Her only lead are a series of tarot cards left by a silent and anonymous "friend"... When it comes to casual game play- where there's no real pressure to hurry though the game, Hidden Object games are great.  You can work at them at your own pace.  You can either use the hint button provided to find something, or you can put your eyesight to the test and find the objects unaided.  The level of difficulty is really up to you. That lack of stress is one of the things I liked about this game.  The scenes where the objects are hidden, and the var...

You wake up after having been drugged, with no memory of who you are.  Soon afterwards, people start dying, and you are in a race against a dark organization to control the release of demons of Hell.  Who are you- and what is your connection to the evil that is razing New York? This is going to be a very short review for " Alone in the Dark ".  Why?  Because, to be honest, I wound up violating one of my rules for reviewing.  I became so frustrated with the game that I stopped playing. It didn't take me all that long either, actually. In fact, I didn't even get out of the building I woke up in at the beginning of the game. Why? It wasn't the story.  The premise was great: solve the mystery of who you are, and stop Hell from coming to Earth.  I'm down with that. It wasn't the graphics.  They are phenomenal- especially the fire.  The way it looks, and the physics of how it interacts with the environment, etc was really good. ...

In the world of movies and books, sequels are seldom as original or enjoyable as the first installment.  The same can be said of video games ... You are a cartographer in 1912 sent to map out a piece of dangerous coastline.  Finding a lighthouse nearby, you become wrapped up in an investigation to find out why lighthouse keepers have been disappearing over the years... and you must find the answer before you become the next one to vanish after the lights go out ... This is the second game in the " Dark Fall " series- with " Dark Fall: The Journal " being the first.  You can't really call this game a sequel, since there is no real connection to " The Journal ".  The only connection is that the female paranormal investigator that went missing in " The Journal " makes an appearance. There is a vast difference between the graphics in this game, and the original.  In " The Journal ," the artwork is more drawn and moody, while...

Unless you're a gamer, you may be looking at the title of this review, and wondering what this particular game has got to do with horror.  Well, it has a horror related feature called, Zombies... " Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 " has three main modes to it- Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies.  While I thought Campaign mode was fun, and really enjoy playing the Multiplayer mode with my nephew and niece, it's the Zombie mode that I'm going to discuss. Within Zombie mode, you have three types of games you can play- Tranzit, Grief, and Survival.  This variety helps to give the game some measure of replay value.  All three game types are well done. In Tranzit (available on the bus stop map only), you work your way through the maps by riding an automated bus.  At each stop you can build equipment to help open doors, act as a shield, etc while buying new weapons and killing zombies.  I haven't been able to "finish" this game type yet, so I'm not su...

With the advent of  shows like " The Walking Dead ", and movies like " Shaun of the Dead ", and " Zombieland ", and games like " Left 4 Dead ", zombies have become quite popular... possibly helping us forget all about vampires that sparkle... You are one of the many people on the resort island of Banoi when people start to attack and each other.  After learning you're immune to whatever is causing the carnage, you and three others band together to help a small group of survivors to find a way off the dead island ... " Dead Island " is a really enjoyable game to play.  The storyline is well thought out and interesting, and while there is a progression to it, it's not a strictly linear story either.  The openess of the story, with the main quests and the side quests helps to create a bit of variety, and allows the player to move the story forward at their own pace.  I also enjoy this openess because it's actually more r...

I enjoy spooky stories, and spooky games in addition to spooky movies.  I was pleasantly surprised while perusing the list of Hidden Object games at Wild Tangent Games , to find a game that consisted of a spooky story about a spooky author... one of the most famous spooky authors ever- Edgar Allan Poe... You're a mystery writer looking for an book idea when the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe appears in your study.  It seems he's unable to rest in peace due to the strange circumstances behind his death... and a secret he took with him to his grave.  It's up to you to find how the truth behind the Edgar Allan Poe conspiracy ... I have to say that I really enjoyed this game.  It's simple to play, but engaging enough to keep a person interested until the end.  The graphics are nice and atmospheric.  It's a challenge to find the objects, but not so hard that you get frustrated from having to use the hints all the time.  The puzzles and mini-games are also ...

I enjoy immersive story-based horror games that offer something new to the genre. Having received a letter from your deceased father, you begin a journey to find out exactly what happened to him.  What you discover may be something far worse than you imagined... " Penumbra: Overture " is a First Person Adventure Game.  You are placed in an abandoned mine trying to unravel the story behind what happened to your father, and trying to avoid the same fate. This game has some decent stuff to offer a gamer.  The graphics are great in my opinion, as is the audio.  Both combined to create an excellent setting and atmosphere that builds suspense and unease.  The storyline itself is pretty good too, and interesting. One of the best things about this game is the physics.  You use the movement of your mouse to perform various actions such as opening a drawer, door, or swing whatever is in your hand to bash barrels and enemies.  You can pick up small item...

Haven't you ever wanted to be the villian in a game?  I know I have.  Luckily, there are games out there that let you be good or bad... or just bad to the bone... You are the Ghost Master.  Your job is to use "field ghosts" to scare mortals out of their wits ultimately taking the Ghostbreakers who want to send you back to the ether ... " Ghost Master " is a Real Time Strategy game that puts you in control of ghosts that can be used to haunt a location, and cause the mortals on site to flee... or go insane.  You start out small- scaring college students, and work your way up to wreaking havoc in a mad scientist's laboratory. To do this, you can assign various ghosts to the case, and use their abilities to scare the mortals and free trapped spirits.  Each ghost has different abilities that create different effects within the game.  You are limited on the number of ghosts you can assign each mission, so you have to think strategically about which ones...

Right now, while vampires may be making a comeback in movies on and TV, zombies are reigning supreme in the video game industry.  One of the most popular ones is " Left 4 Dead "... A strange "flu" has overwhelmed Pennsylvania, turning people into flesh eating zombies.  Four survivors are forced to fight their way through the hordes of the undead in order to escape ... " Left 4 Dead " is a First Person Shooter that hits so many notes correctly. First off, the graphics are just fantastic.  The detail on the characters and zombies help to make you believe that these are people who have been turned into the undead.  The environment is also equally well detailed and crafted.  The look of the game creates a great atmosphere of mood and suspense that helped to suck me into the action.  It had an almost cinematic feel to it- which was helped by the fact that each part of the over all storyline had a movie poster to go with it.  Just a beautiful lookin...

Up until 2002, I had been more interested in Real-Time Strategy games- like " WarCraft " and " Command & Conqueor: Red Alert ", and Turn-Based Strategy games like " Civilization ".  That changed when Jay (from " Film Reviews From the Basement ") lent me a simple Point & Click Adventure game called, " Dark Fall: The Journal "... After receiving a cryptic message from your brother on your answering machine, you head to Dorset to investigate.  Upon arrival at the abandoned train station your brother was preparing to renovate, you discover that he's gone missing... just one in a long list of strange disappearances that have occured over the years.. . " Dark Fall: The Journal " is a very basic, Point & Click Adventure game that relies on a good story and mood.  The graphics are not top of the line for the time- but still effective at adding a great, eerie atmosphere.  This is only enhanced by some of the scrip...

When it comes to games, I enjoy the creepy ones that focus on the mood, and feeling of tension, mystery, and approaching dread.  Combine that with a decent storyline, and I tend to really enjoy them. You've stopped into Barrow Hill, near Cornwall, England and find unrest amongst the community due to something that an archeological dig has discovered.  Soon, the community seems to have disappeared, and you're forced to investigate and confront a ancient force that threatens to destroy you and the town completely... Shadow Tor Studios brings us a good game in " Barrow Hill ".  The graphics are great in the mood and atmosphere created.  While playing this in a darkened room, and going from game area to game area, I felt utterly alone and isolated in the environment on the screen.  The sound just added to this sense of being by yourself and evading some shadowy shape in the corners of the room.  While many point and click adventures use 2-D paintin...

I've been wanting to add some game reviews to " The Corner of Terror " for awhile now, but didn't think I had enough horror/supernatural themed games in my collection.  Besides, I had my hands full over the past year with doing movies and books.  Well, I finally decided to add games to the list of things to talk about... and I don't think you can get any more horrifying or eerier than going against the serial killer that all others are measured against... Jack the Ripper... " Jack the Ripper " was developed by Galilea Games , and released by The Adventure Company in 2003.  The game features you as a New York reporter who is on the trail of a killer whose modus operandi is the same as infamous killer who disappeared thirteen years previously. This game is a simple point and click adventure, and is very easy to play.  The graphics are pretty good, and the cut scenes are well scripted and shot.  One reason I like point and click adventures is that t...