Top Horror Games Countdown: Sony Playstation

The Sony Playstation hit North America on September 9, 1995 and changed the world of video games forever as it was the first disc-based system to truly catch on with gamers as the Sega CD and Phillips CDI failed to gain any momentum and PC Gaming at the time was where CD Games ruled supreme. The Playstation would dominate the home console landscape and even Nintendo’s next console, the N64, failed to dethrone it as the Atari Jaguar CD and even the Sega Dreamcast could not compete when they were released. And because of the power of the Playstation, many publishers would flock to make games for the system as well as port over their games and of course this meant lots of very cool horror games were released on the system and this is where the modern version of Survival Horror would start (but some would say Sweet Home for the Famicom (NES) started it all) and it kicked off for the masses with Resident Evil that was released in 1996 and through this system’s generation many very iconic series would start and continue to this day being must play games for Horror Gamers. The Sony Playstation would come to an end in 2006 officially and would pave the way for the Playstation 2 (PS2) that would become one of the top selling Home Consoles of all time. I got my first Sony Playstation pretty early in the system’s life as my brother would get it for me as he was working for a second hand media store called Replay Media in our area and for day one I was hooked. Now don’t get me wrong my cousins already had one and I can remember playing Resident Evil with my cousin Norman with both of us loving the creepy nature of it. And that is the thing about the Sony Playstation, for me as growing up I have great memories of playing it alongside my friends like Jason Gilmore, Matt Hoffman, Josh Weinberg and Dave Wean during late night gatherings of game playing and junk food eating.

Sony Playstation Machine Horror

So I have 42 Horror Games for the Sony Playstation (aka the PS1 and PSX) and that makes them the Unholy 42, as I will rank them from Worst to Best! Now I am not going to give them a star rating or even a letter grade I am just going to let their standing speak for itself. I am also going to chat a little about the game as well as my thoughts, and of course I will also tell when it was released, what company put it out, what it was rated as well as if I beat it. And keep in mind the games, I am ranking all have to be in my personal collection and on the original format so no digital rom games will be on here, as all that I am ranking are on the classic disc. I will be ranking them mostly on my personal opinion and of course elements like game play, spookiness, graphics, sound, music, replay value, villain(s), story, characters and presentation will all play factors in the ranking as well. So if you are ready, let’s dust off the old Sony Playstation and bust out the old discs and see what horror titles on the system brought the scares to this gamer.

# 42

Roswell Conspiracies - Aliens Myths And Legends PSX Game

Roswell Conspiracies
Released in 2001     System: PSX   Company: Ubi Soft    Rated: T    Beat: Yes

This game was based off the cartoon and has you playing as Nick Logan as you run around blasting monsters and then capturing them as this is your job. You along the way must fight off werewolves, vampires and even solve some puzzles in order to complete your mission. This is a really simple game and is clearly aimed at young gamers who enjoy monsters, aliens and shows like The X-Files. But because the game is so simple and the plot is a little thin, this starts to become kind of a bland play and if you did not watch the cartoon, you would really have no reason to play the game. The game packs very light chills as it’s more about the action than scaring the player. I got this game when released for very cheap and can remember never really getting into it even after beating the game. But I guess I should say if you like the cartoon find this one and give it a play, but as you can see it finds itself in last place here on my countdown list.

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# 41

The X-Files Game PSX Game

The X-Files
Released in 1999     System: PSX   Company: Fox    Rated: T    Beat: No

You are FBI Agent Craig Wilmore, and you have been given an assignment from Skinner to find the missing Agents Scully and Mulder. You are joined by police officer Mary Astadourian and you discover that aliens have taken over the bodies of humans and have a sinister plot that is unfolding, and now you have to use your skills and training in order to stop this silent invasion as well as find the missing agents. This is a FMV Point and Click game that takes place during the third season of the TV Show and features all the actors from the show reprising their roles. And while seeing the actors was cool, the gameplay and putting along plot is kind of what makes this game a miss for me when playing, now don’t get me wrong I am a sucker for FMV games and was and still am a big fan of The X-Files, it’s just this game was lacking something to make it be a must play for me and my friends, as I can remember several of my friends starting to play the game at get togethers only to stop it pretty early on as they got bored and wanted more action, horror and suspense in their gaming experience. The game is pretty fun if you are a mega fan of the show, but most casual gamers will not find this a fun play, but it does have some spooky moments that might scare you if you are playing it in a dark room on a windy stormy night.

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# 40

Dracula the Last Sanctuary PSX Game

Dracula: The Last Sanctuary
Released in 2002   System: PSX   Company: DreamCatcher   Rated: M   Beat: Yes

This is the second game in the point and click Dracula games that is a very slow game that sadly is pretty boring overall as the plot has you as Harker going after Count Dracula in order to get back his wife Mina and has to confront Dracula as well as all those who serve him. This is a slow paced Point and Click game and while it is fun, it also kind of drags in spots much like the first game in the series. And while the game does have some spooky moments and Dracula is a great villain it just kind of lacked something for me as a player. This is a game I played as a teenager and got it when it first came out, and can remember none of my other friends who played horror games wanted to play it as most were not fans of classic Point and Click games, but while it is very low on my list and a little slow I really don’t hate this game, its just not one I would play very often, but if you like Dracula and classic games that play in this style make sure to check this one out.

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# 39

Dracula The Resurrection PSX Game

Dracula: The Resurrection
Released in 2001   System: PSX   Company: DreamCatcher   Rated: M    Beat: Yes

Jonathan and Mina Harker are having a happy life after the destruction of Count Dracula, but after Mina goes missing and a cult of Dracula worshipers want to bring the vampire back, Jonathan must set on a quest to get his wife back, stop the cult and kill Dracula once again if he is brought back to the world of the living. This is a pretty fun Point an Click Horror Game that does a great job of bringing in atmosphere as well as showcase a continuing story for the Dracula legacy. And while the game is for the most part entertaining as you play through and watch the story unfold, it also is a little slow moving and can drag at times with some elements of were do I go and do present. This is a game I got when it was released and can remember sitting in a dark basement and playing it, and when I beat the game it did feel pretty good to defeat Dracula once more. While this game is low on the list the reason for this is cause I did find it to be a little slow and is a game that after beating I have not put back in to replay, but if you like Point and Click games or Dracula make sure to give this one a play.

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# 38

Invasion From Beyond PSX Game

Invasion From Beyond
Released in 1998     System: PSX     Company: GT       Rated: E     Beat: No

This is like a classic alien invasion film put into a fun yet very challenging video game that offers some chills and lots of flying fighting action. This game has you play as a fighter pilot who must fly around and fight off UFO’s as a full fledge alien invasion is taking place and you are the only hope for mankind’s survival. This game is really challenging as for me I could not get the hang of flying the plane around in order to fire at the enemy UFO’s, and this caused lots of frustration and at times un-fun gameplay. The challenge of the game is both great and terrible as we all love a challenging game when its that way because of a difficulty, but it’s not so good when its that because of the controls. The graphics are pretty cool and I do like the premise of the game that feels like it would have been a script for a Sci-Fi film from the 1950’s. And I do not have much connection to this game, as it is not one I played growing up and did not get it into my collection until a few years ago, so I have no nostalgia to help me look past its flaws. And while it’s not a terrible game it just is not a very fun one either as it’s also very repetitive and lacks that something that would make it a must play game for fans who like alien horror. Not much to say here besides it was a fun time waster until it got on my nerves.

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# 37

Countdown Vampires PSX Game

Countdown Vampires
Released in 2000     System: PSX     Company: Bandai       Rated: M     Beat: Yes

Countdown Vampires is considered to be one of the worst Survival Horror games for the Playstation as it has sloppy controls, is way to easy to beat and the vampires are not that threatening causing players to turn on this one pretty fast and it scoring very low rating with both players and critics. The game has you play, as Detective Keith J. Snyder who is assigned to work as a bodyguard at a casino called The Desert Moon that is horror themed that turns into a true house of horror when black goo comes out of the sprinklers after a fire and this causes the people the goo touched to turn into vampires! Keith is now running around the casino fighting off vampires, saving lives and trying his best to figure out what the hell is going on as these monsters are blood thirsty and someone or something had to be what created them with the goo. This is a really cheesy and goofy game with some really basic controls and laughable voice acting, but yet it tries to deliver some scares along the way even if it fails to deliver. Countdown Vampires is a real clone of Resident Evil and trades vampires for zombies and a casino for a mansion. Over this game is nothing special but for me did kill some time as I waited for the next Silent Hill and Resident Evil game to be released.

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# 36

Killing Zone PSX Game

Killing Zone
Released in 1996     System: PSX     Company: Acclaim       Rated: T     Beat: Yes

The fighting game craze was massive thanks to games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Tekken and Horror themed fighters was a no brainer so entered Killing Zone that allowed players to pick from seven different types of monsters like Skeleton, Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster, Gorgon, Minotaur, Dark Faerie and Werewolf and each have their own fighting styles and powers that make then deadly. The game is very basic in it’s fighting and is not a fast paced fighter that players were into at the time and that is why this one slipped through the cracks and sadly is a pretty forgotten fighter only showing up now on YouTube game review shows from time to time. The game plays on the fear factor of their fighters and backgrounds, as this one is more about the fights than the frights. When playing this game you will notice that there is no real special moves and that speed is not in favor of these monsters, but while a slow pace fighter it is really fun to play with your friends as who don’t like a monster vs. monster fights. The game is a sequel to Battle Monsters that was released for the Sega Saturn back in 1995, and while a fun play for a short time it is one that is at the bottom when it comes to fighters. Also should say that the game is pretty easy to beat once you get down the controls and your monster of choices fighting style.

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# 35

Rampage Through Time PSX Game

Rampage: Through Time
Released in 2000     System: PSX     Company: Midway       Rated: T     Beat: Yes

Rampage is a classic game series that got a rebirth in the late 90’s and this is the fourth game in the series and has our monsters George (Ape), Lizzie (Lizard), Ralph (Wolf), Harley (Warthog), Curtis (Rat), Boris (Rhino) and Ruby (Lobster) traveling through time causing chaos and destruction for Scumlabs who must finally fight the giant monsters at Area 51! While this game has a new storyline and adds at least one new monster to the roster with that being Harley they did not change much of the game play and you once more spend level after level just bringing down buildings and structures of all types and fighting off military machines along the way. And while I am a rampage fan by the fourth game in the series you would have hoped that Midway would have added something different to the mix besides monsters and backgrounds. And while this game is a repetitive fun one that brings the three classic monster characters back it is also just lacking something for me that made it one that I played and beat, but never felt the urge to play through it again. Not really spooky but does deliver of giant monster destruction. Not much else to say besides the weakest of the Rampage games for the Sony Playstation.

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# 34

Alien Resurrection PSX Game

Alien Resurrection
Released in 2000     System: PSX     Company: Fox       Rated: M     Beat: No

This first person shooter game was so delayed and almost seemed cursed that it was doomed from the start, but with that said while flawed it really is not a terrible game. The game has you playing as Lt. Ellen Ripley who is stuck on a ship along side some mercenaries and must fight off a horde of Xenomorph’s and the Queen in order to survive and escape this doomed vessel. The game loosely plays into the film featuring many of the characters from it, and at times part of the game can deliver some jump scares with the Xenomorph coming out all around to get you. The main issue with this game is that when it comes to first person shooters featuring the characters from the Alien films this one just falls flat compared to them as games like “Alien Trilogy” and “Alien vs. Predator” just delivered better gaming experiences, making this one feel behind in the times when released in 2000. But I also do have to say that the game does offer some fun moments and has you also fighting off other marines will using all types of weapons, and the game also gives you missions to complete and this helps add to the storyline and keeps it from just being get from point A to point B without dying. The game also packs a little of a challenge and the graphics are not bad at all. And the only reason this game is so low is that it kind of feels like a clone of another Alien game for the PSX that is much higher on this list, so while it is fun, it is nothing new and I would rather play a few other first person shooters for the Playstation before this one.

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# 33

Juggernaut PSX Game

Juggernaut
Released in 1999     System: PSX     Company: Jaleco       Rated: M     Beat: Yes

This is a very strange and spooky game that plays on mood and atmosphere in order to bring the chills down your spine and has been described as unsettling by many players. In this point and click game you play as a man whose girlfriend has been possessed by a demon and you must enter the mind of your lady that is now like a haunted mansion that is filled with puzzles, items and strange visions and in the end you must save her soul from a devil like creature and truly find out the dark secret of why she has been chosen. This is truly a strange game that moves along slowly but the story start to unfold a little more as you continue on your quest to save her soul, and this feels very creepy as you see strange things all around you as you push forward and solve these puzzles of the mind. This is not your typical style Horror Game and really feels more like it should be on the PC but it is a very spooky game that will surely please fans of point and click games. I also have to say I like the devil at the end and while not overly hard, it is one of those games you feel like you accomplished something when you beat it. The reason this game is not higher is I do find it to be a very cool horror game is because it is one that I played later in my life and did not find it hard to beat and because that I think it is one of those games you will play once or twice in your life and be done with it. But I do recommend it for fans of point and click horror games and for those who like trippy mind games that have to do with demons. And do keep in mind the game is very slow paced and is not action heavy at all.

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# 32

Alone in the Dark One-Eyed Jack's Revenge PSX Game

Alone In The Dark: One-Eyed Jacks Revenge
Released in 1996     System: PSX    Company: Infogrames       Rated: T     Beat: No

This is the second game in the Alone In The Dark series and has Edward Carnby who is a Supernatural Private Eye along with his partner Ted Stryker heading to the Hell’s Kitchen Mansion on a case that involves mobsters kidnapping a young girl, but after Ted is killed and Edward is all alone he finds that these mobsters have been taken over by the evil spirits of pirates thanks to voodoo magic and he must fight for his life in order to save the young girl plus find out why they want her and stop these pirates once and for all. This is another game that I have almost when released as I was able to get a copy from a second hand media store in town, and found it to be a fun and spooky game…but the graphics and controls is what took me out of it and made it that I never sat and played the game all the way through. But I have to say I do like the character Edward Carnby and find the concept of ghost pirates taking control of the bodies of mobsters in the 1920’s during Christmas to be a pretty awesome story. I really do hate having this Alone In The Dark game so low on this list, but again if you have ever played this eye sore with the bad controls you would see why I had to do so. This is a game that could really do with a remake as all the pieces are here for a good horror game and the Alone In The Dark series really does need to make a comeback to the world of modern gaming.

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# 31

OverBlood PSX Game

OverBlood
Released in 1997     System: PSX     Company: EA       Rated: T      Beat: No

This is a Sci-Fi Horror Game that was made as a way to rival the Resident Evil games and has you play as Raz Karcy who wakes up from a cryogenic box and you are confused and scared and must figure out a way to escape the research facility that you are stuck in. Along the way you make a friend with a robot as well as Milly Azray all the while you are solving puzzles, wondering around, fighting off both infected people as well as illness yourself. And that is why this game was met with very mix reviews as players felt that the game was just way too slow paced and that the scares were just to far and few. I can remember buying this game from Blockbuster Video back in the day and while I enjoyed the slow burn style game play I did find myself getting bored as I like good solid scary baddies in my Horror Games. And another thing that goes against this game for me is that the story and voice acting is pretty cheesy and not fully in a good way. But while this game is pretty low on my list and it does have lots of flaws I do not hate it and have some great memories playing it late nights. I would say if you enjoy Horror themed games were you wonder around going through doors, solving some puzzles and fighting off some enemies as the plot slowly unfolds give OverBlood a shot.

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# 30

Crypt Killer PSX Game

Crypt Killer
Released in 1997     System: PSX     Company: Konami       Rated: T     Beat: Yes

Who doesn’t like a creepy Horror themed first person shooter that allowed the player not only to use the regular controller but also light guns to shoot down attacking monsters! In this game you play as a Crypt Raider who is being guided around levels that are like caves, crypts and temples fighting off the monsters and creatures that live in them in order to find the Eyes Of Guidance but in order to get your hands on these keys to open the doors of fate you have to fight a boss like sea monsters and such. The game is pretty fun and is a rail shooter so it moved you automatically through the locations and makes your focus of gunning down your enemies. And while this shooter is pretty basic and the enemies cool but generic I am a fan and have always enjoyed playing this game by myself or with my friend Jason Gilmore when I was younger. This is also a game that I wished would have gotten sequels but do to the poor reviews Konami killed this series after the first. And while this game is not ground breaking nor super iconic I for one enjoy it for all the simple reasons of it being a game to kill time with while shooting monsters!

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# 29

Rampage World Tour PSX Game

Rampage: World Tour
Released in 1997     System: PSX     Company: Midway       Rated: T     Beat: Yes

Rampage is a video game series that I have been a fan of for a very long time as I can remember playing the arcade version at a local Hills Department Store and even back in the day trading a friend at school for a copy of it on the NES. And in the area of the PSX, the series would make a sort of comeback with a new take on the classic destroy the buildings formula. World Tour is the second Rampage game and has you playing as George (Ape), Lizzie (Lizard) or Ralph (Wolf) who escape a Scumlabs facility and go around the world to attack their other labs and kill the employees, and finally you battle the Scumlabs boss on the moon after he turns into a giant monster himself, well I should say you destroy buildings as he bounces around. Much like the other two PSX Rampage games, this has flaws as this game is repetitive, drags, is over long and while the graphics are great it just can not live up to the original. I will say that I do like that they try and give this game a storyline and for the most part that works as I like the idea of the monsters wanting to get revenge on the company that has tormented them for years. And for those wondering, yes, George is the monster I always play as in this game. Over all not a terrible game, just a little too repetitive for my taste, but I do say that it’s worth a play and own for fans of Rampage.

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# 28

The Mummy PSX Game

The Mummy
Released in 2000     System: PSX     Company: Konami       Rated: T     Beat: No

This is based on the 1999 film by Universal and is an action horror game that is brought to us by Konami who was trying to be the rival to Capcom when it came to horror games! In this game you play as Rick O’Connell and you are on an expedition and of course you are on the bad side of The Mummy Imhotep who has his army of the dead as well as insects on his side. Oh did I also mention to you that your love interest Evelyn Carnahan is also in Egypt with you and could be in danger’s way! This game has very sloppy controls that at times leads to frustrating gameplay, but I have to say that I had lots of fun running around the darken tombs fighting The Mummy’s evil minions as the worst choice for a voice actor of Rick O’Connell drones on during cut scenes, like he sounds nothing like Brendan Fraser. The game has some spooky moments and the fight with Imhotep is kind of fun and adds to the chills. This is one of those games that is not for everyone as it does have flaws and can drag in spots, but for me it is a fun play and Shockley I have not beat this one yet…I need to get on that.

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# 27

Martian Gothic Unification PSX Game

Martian Gothic
Released in 2001     System: PSX     Company: Take 2       Rated: M     Beat: No

This is one of those games I have a love hate relationship with as I bought this game when it was released as I was excited about the idea of a survival game that was about aliens, and when playing it I hated the controls and the puzzles were just annoying and there was way to many of theme. The game has you play as one of three players that have been sent to a Mars base called Vita-01 in order to find out why all the people there are dead, soon you find out that they opened a ancient Martian box that has unleashed something very sinister at the base as the dead are coming back to life and now you must find out how to survive and never meet each other again as this will cause the virus to spread even more…and this is what could doom the Earth. This is a fun game that has tank controls and a interesting story, but again the so many puzzles always took me out of the game and caused me never to finish it, and you know I really should revisit this game and finish it. The game also has some spooky moments and the lack of weapons to truly fight back makes this a good example of a PSX survival horror game. If you like games about aliens that has puzzles on puzzled then check this out, as again I don’t mind this game, it’s just something annoy me lots about it.

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# 26

Shadowman PSX Game

Shadow Man
Released in 1999     System: PSX     Company: Acclaim       Rated: M     Beat: Yes

This is a game set in the world of voodoo and dark magic and is a strange mix of adventure and horror and is oddly enough based on a comic book series by Valiant Comics. The game has you play as Michael LeRoi, a voodoo warrior who is now the chosen one to keep the world safe from the creatures coming from the other side by Mama Nettie who infuses the mask of shadows to his chest, and you must collect dead souls in order to stop the coming Apocalypse that is being ushered in by The Legion who will do anything to destroy the land of the living. This is a pretty fun game that brings in elements of true crime as a character in the game is Jack The Ripper and the creatures or dark souls if you prefer can be creepy and add to the horror aspects of the game. And this is one that for years has been argued about between gamers as some do not see it as a horror game, while others do…I am the latter and that is why it’s on this countdown update. This is one I played when released and ended up beating some time later, I also have some good memories of playing this game with my pal Jason Gilmore during one of our many gaming marathons. If you like your action adventure games with a mix of voodoo and horror then this one is for you.

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# 25

Alone in the dark the new nightmare PSX Game

Alone In The Dark: The New Nightmare
Released in 2001     System: PSX     Company: Infogrames       Rated: E     Beat: No

This is the fourth game in the Alone In The Dark game series and is the first reboot made to try to get the series into the more modern game era as Survival Horror was in full swing. This game has you play as supernatural private investigator Edward Carnby who is looking into the death of his friend and this takes him to an island that unravels clues to do with his murder that includes ancient tablets, dark magic and ungodly creatures! What has Edward stumbled onto and how can he stop the upcoming darkness? You can also choose to play as Aline Cedrac, a university professor who also knows about the tablets and is going to try and stop the coming evil. This is a pretty spooky and fright filled game that is a mix of action and puzzle solving and delivers creatures that want nothing more than to kill you dead. Edward is a character that had been throughout the Alone In The Dark series that has your flashlight be your main weapon, as these monsters you face hate the light. This is a game I played when released and enjoyed the creepy nature of it as I had played pervious games in the series and liked this new restart to the series. I am shocked that I never beat this game and someday I will have to go back and revisit it and give it a go. If you like your Survival Horror games covered in darkness, puzzled and scares give this one a play.

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# 24

Space Invaders PSX Game

Space Invaders
Released in 1999     System: PSX     Company: Activsion       Rated: E     Beat: Yes

Space Invaders is one of the greatest classic arcade games as well as one of the best games for the Atari 2600, and in the late 90’s the classic game was remade and was pretty dang awesome as they took the classic play and turned it up a notch. This game has you play as high-powered tank driver who is fighting off alien invaders who want to take over Earth, and you must keep fighting, as the invasion gets more and more intense as the levels go on. While this is a cool update to a very classic game, if I wanted to play Space Invaders on a home console I would play if for the Atari 2600 and not an enhanced version, and that is the only reason it finds itself at this spot on my list. Now keep in mind, it is a fun play and if you like fending off invaders from space then check this one out. This is also one that I played much later after its first release and I do respect that fact that they try and give the game a little bit of a story with an opening cut scene. Not much more to say besides if you like Space Invaders and want to play a more updated version then track this one down and give it a play.

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# 23

Darkstalkers PSX Game

Darkstalkers
Released in 1996     System: PSX     Company: Capcom       Rated: T     Beat: Yes

This is a fighting game that has monsters fighting it out in the style of Street Fighter II, and yep it’s cause it was made by Capcom! The plot of this fighter is pretty simple as the Earth is in danger thanks to an invading demon who wants to devour our world, and monsters are the only chance to stop this from happing. You can choose from ten different monsters that include Sasquatch, female cat person Felicia, vampire Demitri Maximoff, werewolf Jon Talbain, merman Rikuo, stitched together monster Victor Von Gerdenheim, rock star zombie Lord Raptor, ghost samurai Bishamon, succubus Morrigan Aensland and mummy Anakaris. The fighting is fast paced and the combos, if timed right, can really help you win the fight. This game’s horror comes with the fighters themselves as they are all based on classic monsters and even the theme of an alien demon wanting to bring down the Earth is a little spooky. While this game is a classic, it is one that I did not play as often when it came to fighters as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and one that will appear a little later in this countdown update. A fun game for sure and one that if you like monsters fighting each other you should play, and yes this game spawned sequels as well as comics and toys as it was a very popular Horror Fighter series for Capcom for years. And I can also remember back in the day having matches against my brother as well as friends.

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# 22

Evil Dead PSX Game

Evil Dead: Hail To The King
Released in 2000     System: PSX     Company: THQ       Rated: M     Beat: No

This Survival Horror game is based on the classic Horror Movie series and the game takes place after the events of the third film (Army Of Darkness) and has you playing as Ash who along with his new girlfriend Jenny head back to the cabin in the woods to get over his fears and find that the deadites are alive an well and after taking Jenny, our hero Ash must go after her as well as fight his Evil Self and his own cursed hand! This game has a few scares and is a hack slash game that sadly has some of the worst controls in PSX Survival Horror Game history as at times you fill like you are swinging your axe or chainsaw wildly. The controllers is the tank style and can be a little awkward and is what makes combat way more difficult and brings lots of frustration. What does make this game work is the atmosphere that is dark and creepy, spooky and scary villains and an iconic hero as its great playing as Ash. And this game also sparked two sequels and was a great starting point to reintroduce Evil Dead back into video games, as the first was way back in the Commodore 64 days! This is by no means a great game, but it does have a solid story that showcases elements from all three original Evil Dead films and brings characters like Evil Ash and his Possessed Hand back into the fold…and yes, I know that part of the reason I enjoy this game is because I am a fan of the films, but I also know that because the bad controls is why I have never beat the game.

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# 21

Resident Evil Survivor PSX Game

Resident Evil: Survivor
Released in 2000     System: PSX    Company: Capcom       Rated: M     Beat: Yes

Resident Evil made the jump into first shooter person gaming with Survivor, and since its release it as been meet with lots of hatred by most RE fans, but it as well as built up its own cult following for trying something different. This has you play as a pilot who escapes a helicopter crash but with no memory of who he is, and worse he is stuck on an island that is ran by Umbrella and that has an outbreak of its own! Along the way you fight off zombies and other creatures as the story of who you are unfolds and you must find a way off the island before is self-destructs, save some young kids that have been left behind on the island as well as uncover who you really are all the while fighting a Tyrant that is stalking you. I understand why, when released, that this game was met with bad reviews and anger from RE fans who wanted tank controls and a more deep story, but for me it was just a side story in the RE universe that had ties to some of the characters from the main games and was a way to hold us over for Resident Evil 4 that was coming soon on the PS2. The games controls can be clunky and having to use the controller and not a light gun as it can slowdown your attacks on the enemies. While this is not the perfect or best Resident Evil game on the PSX, it is one that I spend many hours playing growing up and did enjoy this spinoff storyline.

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# 20

Primal Rage PSX Game

Primal Rage
Released in 1995    System: PSX     Company: Warner       Rated: T     Beat: Yes

This is a fighting game that is very much rooted in Horror as its Kaiju or Giant Monsters fighting and killing each other and even eating humans in order to get a boost during battle! The game even has a plot that involves a meteor that has hit Earth and has caused it to be destroyed and the remaining humans form tribes and worship monsters that have awaken after the destruction and now they fight for the land and to be the dominate one. The player can choose from a total of seven fighters that are broken into two sides the destructive group that wants the world to go even darker are Diablo a fire breathing dinosaur, Vertigo a snake like dinosaur creature and Choas who is a ape. The virtuous beasts are Blizzard a giant ape, Sauron a Tyrannosaurus, Talon a raptor and Armadon as spiky dinosaur. Each character has their own powers and some are really silly as the ape Chaos uses foul farts to affect his enemies! The game is a little slow and clunky on the PSX as it a port of an Arcade Game, but with the slowness comes the charm of having giant monsters fighting! And I will also say that at times pulling off special moves can be annoying on the PSX version. This game has a cult following and sadly while a Primal Rage 2 was in the works, it never got an official release. I played this game all the time in the arcades and once it came to PSX, I played it solo as well as against friends. A fun Horror themed fighter that is due for a rebirth on modern systems.

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# 19

Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver PSX Game

Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver
Released in 1999    System: PSX     Company: Eidos       Rated: T     Beat: Yes

It took around three years for the next game in the Legacy Of Kain series to be released and this time around you play as the vampire Raziel who covers his face do to it being disfigured and the world of Nosgoth is in chaos as Kain has raised an army of vampires and they have killed off most of the humans. That causes a magical wheel underground not to spin and give life to the land, and now it’s up to Raziel who is at odds with Kain in order to get the land once more set right as well as find the Elder God who lives underground and controls the wheel. This is a really fun action horror game that adds to the story of Kain and the land of Nosgoth and allows you to play as a vampire who has had his own kind turn on, and this game also plays Kain as the main villain and in the end it’s vampire vs. vampire for the fate of the land. This was a sequel that my friends and I was very much looking forward to, and for the most part it lived up to our excitement and also introduced us to Raziel who is now the series’ main hero and a great foe to go up against Kain. If you like your horror games to have a vast world filled with dark magic and vampires then give this one a play.

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# 18

D PSX Game

D
Released in 1996     System: PSX     Company: Acclaim       Rated: T     Beat: Yes

D is a interactive movie horror game that has you play as Laura Harris who is heading to a hospital that her father committed a mass murder spree in and she wants answers to what set him off and caused all this, but she gets the shock of her life when the hospital turns into a castle that is filled with nightmares, weird visions and voices that she must put together in order to find what she seeks. Can Laura find her father, can she save him from the curse of…Dracula and his blood! This is a very strange game that is more of a movie that you can interact with by finding and using objects. The main appeal of this game is its strange story that deals with mass murder and the cure of being a vampire, plus let’s be honest its really cool that the D stands for Dracula as anytime you can work that icon of Horror Media into something I say do it! This game has been met with very mix feelings by gamers over the years as many think that the lack of true game play makes it a lame experience, while others like that it’s more of a animated movie that allows you to help move the story along. This is a game that I have been a fan of ever since I rented it from Blockbuster Video when I was a teenager as its story kept me playing and the fact that you have to play through it in one sitting made for a spooky rollercoaster ride the late night I played it. While this game is not for everyone, this Dracula game will always have a place in my aging gamer heart.

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# 17

Nightmare Creatures PSX Game

Nightmare Creatures
Released in 1997     System: PSX     Company: Activision       Rated: M     Beat: Yes

A Horror Game series that I feel has not gotten its share of the fame over the years is Nightmare Creatures as it’s truly a spooky game that is filled with some very cool monsters as well as a good story line that revolves around a cult as well as brings in elements of gothic horror. The game has you take control of priest Ignatius Blackward or Nadia Franciscu,s the daughter of a murdered doctor who was studying a book that had the secrets of the cult who are now working with the evil Adam Crowley who is responsible for creatures and monsters appearing all over London, England! The mood of this game is grim and the dark streets of London are a great backdrop for this tale of gothic cult horror. The downside to the game is that it does get a little repetitive as you just hack and slash your way through levels of the same monsters, but to be fair welcome to that area of gaming. This is one that I got close to when it was released and enjoyed playing it to completion as I did enjoy the story and wanted to see it all unfold. While it is not as iconic as Resident Evil, Silent Hill or Alone In The Dark, I do think Nightmare Creatures is on par in popularity with Clock Tower and Dino Crisis. And for those wondering I liked playing Nadia as her swords were cool and she moved faster in my opinion. If you like hack slash Horror games that do offer a challenge to beat then make sure to checkout Nightmare Creatures.

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# 16

Doom PSX Game

Doom
Released in 1995     System: PSX     Company: Midway       Rated: M     Beat: Yes

The classic PC game was ported to PSX in 1995 and was a combo of the first game as well as Doom II and was a welcomed addition to gamers who loved horror titles. In this game you play as Doom Guy who armed with an assortment of weapons goes on a one man quest to stop the demons that are invading Earth and preventing Hell from taking over as well as the true end of times. This is a classic and it was cool to see a port of the game that as well had some changes make it to home consoles as the title truly is a very iconic first person shooter as well as a must play and own game. The one downside is that some levels from Doom and Doom II have been removes for the PSX version so it did not give gamers the true gaming experience that PC gamers got. The game is filled with all types of demons who add to the horror of a game that is based around Hell. Doom Guy is an awesome hero and a true icon for heroes in games. A game that I got almost when it was released and is one that I played lots, and while it’s not a great as the PC Version or the newly remastered version for PS4 this one is pretty dang great.

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# 15

Final Doom PSX Game

Final Doom
Released in 1996     System: PSX     Company: Williams       Rated: M     Beat: Yes

This is a sequel to Doom for the PSX and mixes elements from Doom II as well as new levels to create an experience just for the console players. This has you take control of Doom Guy as you battle the hordes of demons that want to try and invade Earth and armed with all types of weapons from a chainsaw to a rocket launcher you set your sets on sending them back to Hell. This is a great first person shooter and for me is the true start of that craze that is still going strong in gaming to this day and could be the best first person shooter not only in Horror Games but video games in general for me. This is much like Doom for PSX that we just spoke about as if takes the same engine and just builds onto it. The game can be spooky and does give a challenge when trying to beat it. Over all another great Doom game and is one I played not as often as I should have.

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# 14

Area 51 PSX Game

Area 51
Released in 1996     System: PSX     Company: Midway       Rated: M     Beat: Yes

This is the classic light gun rail arcade game ported to home console and is a pretty fun game that that allowed you to use a light gun or even your controller to play. The game has you play as a member of the Strategic Tactical Advanced Alien Response team as a race of aliens called the Kronn and their zombie slaves are attacking the military base Area 51 and it’s your goal to stop this attack as well as the invasion of Earth that could be in the cards if you fail. Now I am not a huge fan of light gun shooters as most I find to be a little boring as they have you on a grid that automatically moves you forward through the whole game, but for some reason Area 51 is one that I have always enjoyed just behind the House Of The Dead series. The aliens and the zombies are super violent and want you dead, and they can also offer a few jump scares as they pop into frame. The game also ported over to Playstation very well and this is a very underrated series when it comes to Sci-Fi, Action Horror games. This is one I played pretty often and was one I had to beat when I got it back in the 90’s. Over all if you like rail shooters and like games about aliens and zombies, give this one a try as it’s a pretty fund fast and challenging game.

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# 13

Alien Trilogy PSX Game

Alien Trilogy
Released in 1996     System: PSX     Company: Acclaim       Rated: M     Beat: Yes

This is a first person shooter that is based on the super popular Alien movie franchise and has you play as Lieutenant Ellen Ripley who as became a space marine and is on a quest to save human lives as well as destroy the Xenomorphs who have taken over a planet along the way you must fight the alien warriors, face huggers, androids and even the Queen herself. The game can be a challenge as some of the areas are maze like and the aliens are fast and will sneak up on you and hurt you, as does their spit acid blood that you must be aware of. The game being first person helps add to the spooky nature as the aliens are coming after you and your gun needs to be ready to bring them down or they will kill you. This is also proof that games based on movies can be great if done right and if the right time is spent on them you can have a enjoyable game. The game is pretty challenging and does have some jump scare moments as the Aliens will scream that can make you jump when playing late nights. This is one I played solo a lot as well as with my pal Jason Gilmore who is the one who gave me this game back in the day. A must play for fans of Alien both in films and games.

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# 12

Blood Omen Legacy Of Kain PSX Game

Blood Omen: Legacy Of Kain
Released in 1996     System: PSX     Company: Square       Rated: M     Beat: Yes

This is a very bloody and fun overhead game that has you take control of the vampire named Kain who was turned into a blood drinking and is now in the land of Nosgoth drinking human blood and on a quest to fight for his life as some humans have made it their goal to kill all the vampires as well as fight with those vampires who are chaos and set to destroy. This has you fight both humans and vampires as well as uncover the dark secrets of the land as well as those who protect the pillars that are the source of power, and best of all in the end you get the choice to save the world or bring it down. Kain is a very interesting character as he is kind of an anti-hero who is both good and evil and the world of Nosgoth is very interesting and deep and should be explored more with future games for these modern systems. The game play is pretty smooth in this game and the overhead camera works well for this style of game, plus drinking the blood of your enemies is very cool and adds to the horror elements of the game as many gamers see this more as an action game then a horror one, but I have always seen it as a vampire Horror Action Game series. Spent many hours playing this game over the years and was one that when you beat it you feel like you have accomplished something big. Great game and is a challenge for sure.

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# 11

Dino Crisis 2 PSX Game

Dino Crisis 2
Released in 2000     System: PSX     Company: Capcom     Rated: M     Beat: Yes

Regina survived a lab leak that had her and her fellow Secret Operation Raid Team being attacked and some killed by dinosaurs, and now she has been brought in to supervise a team to get samples to study and she soon finds herself once more being attacked by meat eating dinosaurs. And once more she must fight to survive as well as uncover who, what and why this new outbreak is taking place. The Dino Crisis series does a fantastic job of making dinosaurs scary and brought a tough female hero into gaming as Regina is underrated when it comes to heroes in Horror Games. This game has the classic tank controls and is very challenging and has puzzles as well as boss fights that will surely scare those who are not ready for a challenge. The original game in the series is a fantastic Survival Horror game, and this sequel is a good follow up and helped add to the world and story this series was building. This game also allows you to play as Dylan and I also have to say Capcom took a little of the horror elements out and added more of a Sci-Fi action feel to it over all. This is a game I can remember playing solo or with my friend Jason Gilmore and when I beat the game it left me wondering what was next for the series, and what we got was a mess of a game that was only for Xbox released in 2003 and they set it in space and removed Regina from the series…and it has remained a dead franchise since then. Over all a great game and I have to stress to Capcom give us a new Dino Crisis game or at least remake them like you have for the Resident Evil series.

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# 10

Castlevania Chronicles PSX Game

Castlevania Chronicles
Released in 2001     System: PSX     Company: Konami     Rated: T     Beat: Yes

This is a great game as it’s an updated remake of the classic original Castlevania game with better graphics and fighting combat. The game has you play as Simon Belmont, and you are on a quest to bring the end of Dracula who has along with his army of monsters have been tormenting and killing people for decades, armed with your whip and other elements of battle you head to his castle with courage and might as you must not fail. Castlevania is one of my favorite games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and this remake is one hell of a great play as the graphics look great and all the changes help make the quest feel more epic, but that’s also partly why it does not find itself higher of this list as the simple nature of the NES game and it’s difficulty is what makes it so good to me. If you are a fan of Castlevania, this is worth playing as it does its job of updating and iconic game, bringing Dracula back to being scary and is a must own for collectors even though it has a high price sticker. This one I played more when I was an adult as I did not own it when released as it being a remake of one of my all time favorite games was not on my radar then as I would have just played the original if I wanted to play.

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# 9

Clock Tower 2 PSX Game

Clock Tower II
Released in 1999    System: PSX     Company: AgeTec     Rated: M     Beat: Yes

The world of Clock Tower is a very underrated game series, and this sequel is a good follow up as it has you play as Alyssa Hale, a high school girl who is having issues cause another person’s soul has taken residents in her body named Bates, and he wants to take over her body! Now Alyssa must fight for her soul as well as the world around her is turning dark as loved ones and strangers are turning into monsters and zombies walk the hallways. Are these visions real or is it Bates just messing with her mind is the question all gamers face as they play through this underrated game. This is another point and click game that is more about avoiding then combat and this adds to the terror as you have to think fast during moments in order to survive. This one as well is more about The Maxwell Curse and does lack the appearance of a masked giant scissors carrying madman. This one has a good atmosphere and can be a challenge and has some jump scare moments that help add to the Survival Horror game genre as a whole. If you like point and click Horror Games that have an interesting unfolding plot as well as multiple endings, make sure to track this one down, but keep in mind it is a little pricy. And this is one I can remember playing late nights with the goal to beat it as well as give myself a few scares.

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# 8

Nightmare Creatures II PSX Game

Nightmare Creatures II
Released in 2000     System: PSX     Company: Konami     Rated: M     Beat: Yes

This game is lots of fun and allows you to hack up monsters using your trusty axe and sometimes Rob Zombie music plays adding to the wild nature of the game. In this game you play as Herbert Wallace, a mental patient at the evil Adam Crowley’s genetics hospital who escapes and with an axe tries to fight off the evil monsters and creatures the Crowley’s occultist magic as brought to the streets of London, England and his goal is to fight Crowley himself to stop all this madness as well as for all the tortures he has done to him and others at the hospital. Plus it’s all also for Rachel the love of his life who as well is caught up in this madness. And this game is very bloody as you kill everything in your way and while the gameplay can be a little repetitive I for one love the atmosphere as well as the story being told, plus playing as the well spoken and yet unstable character Herbert Wallace adds to the over all feel of chaos, sadness and dread that fills every level. And while the game can give you a challenge and at times the controls and camera seem to work against you, it is beatable, as I have done so several times over my lifetime. This is a game I played alone at night with all the lights off and was a great gaming experience in 2000. This one is not for everyone, as some of you will be annoyed by the gameplay as well as the repetitive combat and enemies that appear, but if you like hack slash games check this one out as it is a game I very much enjoy. Plus Konami should bring back Nightmare Creatures or even just place it into the Castlevania world.

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# 7

Resident Evil 2 PSX Game

Resident Evil 2
Released in 1998     System: PSX     Company: Capcom     Rated: M     Beat: Yes

Resident Evil 2 was a great follow up to the original game and added more terror, more story and more layers to the series and proved that Capcom was the King of Survival Horror Games at the time. The game has you play as either Claire Redfield or Leon Kennedy in Raccoon City two months after the events of the first game and another zombie outbreak has infected the citizens and they are trying to stop it as well as get information on the G-Virus, a bio weapon that can turn humans into bio creatures of war. And worse Umbrella, the pharmaceutical company who are responsible for the outbreak, also unleashes a massive bioweapon man called the Tyrant loose in order to hunt down Claire and Leon in order to stop them from uncovering their dark secrets and exposing it to the world. This game offers a challenge to the player and ups the stakes as well as the action and causes you to have to think and act fast in order to survive. Plus besides the zombies and monsters The Tyrant offers a few good scares. Many think that RE2 is the best game in the classic series, and I find it fantastic just not the best for me. I have great memories of playing this game with my friends Jason Gilmore and Dave Wean. Another must have for any Horror Game collector.

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# 6

Dino Crisis PSX Game

Dino Crisis
Released in 1999     System: PSX     Company: Capcom     Rated: M     Beat: Yes

Capcom had Resident Evil as their top Survival Horror game series but they knew that fans wanted more and with that came the short lived and yet very awesome Dino Crisis series. This one has you take control of Regina, a female agent for the Secret Operation Raid Team who is looking into a research facility that has went dark and was the site of a to secret weapons project, with her is fellow agents Gail, Cooper and Rick and they soon find that the secret project is loose as it’s man-eating dinosaurs who are on the hunt to kill and has caused the mayhem at the lab. Now you must fight to survive as well as uncover the dark nature of this outbreak and if the Doctor behind these experiments is truly dead. This is a great game that makes Dinosaurs scary and adds that Resident Evil touch to its story that draws you in as it unfolds before your eyes. And being chased by a T-Rex is stuff of nightmares! Regina is a great hero and guiding her through this horror as well as puzzles makes beating the game feel more important. It’s a true shame that Capcom fails to see how great this series is and that they have not delivered a remake or sequel in many decades, and heck they could even just at this point pull the characters into the Resident Evil series and people would be happy as who wouldn’t want to fight zombies and dinosaurs! A truly fun and spooky game that I played all the time and had a blast doing so with my friend Jason Gilmore, and with that, again, this is a must own for any fan of Survival Horror games.

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# 5

Castlevania Symphony of the Night PSX Game

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
Released in 1997     System: PSX     Company: Konami     Rated: T     Beat: Yes

Castlevania is a game series for me that for decades was the top Horror Game Franchises of all time and while now in days I would say that it has dropped behind the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill it still remains a very iconic series even if Konami has dropped the ball as a company. In Symphony Of The Night you take control of Alucard, who is the son of Dracula who is on a mission to bring down his father’s castle, but that does not happen as you are stripped of all your weapons and powers by Death and must gain it all back as your father’s army of creatures and monsters attack and in the end you must face your father Dracula and try to end his reign of terror as well as avenge your mother Lisa who was blamed to be a witch. This is such an amazing game and is considered many to be the best game in the Castlevania series as it’s a challenge to beat, has a great story and allows you to upgrade your weapons and abilities. Plus you get to play as a vampire and better yet, the son of Dracula and even has some appearances by Richter Belmont! The score music done by Michiru Yamane is also amazing and helps add to your quest, and while this is not the most scariest nor bloodiest Horror Game on this list, it is very much a great quest one that features many classic monsters and has top notch game play. This is one I bought when released in 1997 and I can remember playing it for hours with my pal Jason Gilmore and is one that when you beat it you feel like you have been through a rollercoaster of classic horror fright. A must own for any game collector.

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# 4

Resident Evil PSX Game

Resident Evil
Released in 1996     System: PSX     Company: Capcom     Rated: M     Beat: Yes

This is the game that started the big Survival Horror boom in the video game industry and is the one that made these types of games must plays for gamers the world wide. The game has you play as S.TA.R.S team members Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine who along with Wesker and Barry Burton are stuck in a mansion in the middle of the woods as zombies and creatures are all around trying to make you dead, you have low ammo and must solve puzzles in order to get deeper into the mansion and find out who is responsible for this outbreak as well as try and escape Raccoon City alive. This is one hell of a game and really has some down right spooky moments with one being the iconic first zombie you come across and his slow turn to look at you…creepy stuff. The game also had its fair share of blood and really did seem to be scaring players as the story and the stress of the game would chill your blood and make you anxious as you fought your way through the zombies and monsters. The game also made Tank Controls the standard for all the RE clones that followed for many years. I first saw and played the game with my cousin Norman, and he was a fan and I quickly became one as well from the moment he handed me the control. This is a must play and own game and if you are a classic gamer or even a new gamer and you have not played or own it make sure to get yourself a copy.

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# 3

Clock Tower PSX Game

Clock Tower
Released in 1997     System: PSX   Company: ASCII     Rated: M     Beat: Yes

This is a game that I feel is very much often over looked when people talk about great Horror Games for the PSX and for me it has always been one of my all time favorites from the moment I first rented it I went on a hunt to buy it because it was a must have for me and its been one I have played and beat many times over the years as the game has multiple endings. The game has you play as Jennifer Simpson, a young girl who survived an attack by a killer called Scissorsman who has now shown back up and the killing starts all over again. Jennifer is on his list of victims and she must survive in order to find out who and why Scissorsman has returned. This is one of my all time favorite Survival Horror Games and is one that from the moment I rented it from a video store knew I had to own and tracked it down and bought it. The game is a point and click spooky experience that brings jump scares, an interesting story and a cool killer for players to try and dodge and defeat. While this is not your normal style of Horror Games for home console players, it was hands down one of my favorite Horror Games of all time and while the game is pricey now do yourself a favor and track down a copy and give it a play.

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# 2

Resident Evil 3 PSX Game

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Released in 1999     System: PSX   Company: Capcom     Rated: M     Beat: Yes

The third game in the Resident Evil game series still is one of my favorite Horror Games of all time and I would even be so bold to say that its my favorite one in the whole series as there is always been something very awesome and spooky about this one. The game has you playing as Jill Valentine, who is trying to escape Raccoon City that has been taken over by the zombies who have been infected by the t-virus, but she has more to worry about when Nemesis shows up with a mission to kill all members of the S.T.A.R.S. team and that puts her are a big target! Now she must fight for her life as well as save those living she comes across all the while fighting the zombies, monsters and of course Nemesis who all want her dead. This game is truly a Survival Horror one as bullets are few and far between and once your machine gun is empty, things do get more difficult. Nemesis is a fantastic monster that chases you around the game and even will kill the zombies if they get in his way as he truly has only one thing on his mind and that’s to bring you death. This is one game that I have played and beat several times and felt good about doing so as its challenging and that is what makes it so good. Plus I really do also like the music used in this game as well as like the story and characters and this is one that almost made my # 1 spot and was only slightly beat out. I should also note that I have lots of great memories playing this game with friends like Jason Gilmore and this is the game that I use to crack my brother up when playing as I would make an injured limping Jill try and escape the zombies and would say “Come On” in my best Captain Rhodes impression from the 1985 classic film Day Of The Dead.

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# 1

Silent Hill PSX Game

Silent Hill
Released in 1999     System: PSX     Company: Konami     Rated: M     Beat: Yes

My # 1 has to go to Silent Hill, an amazing game that has you take control of Harry Mason who after an accident driving wakes up to find his daughter Cheryl missing and he is in the strange town of Silent Hill were the fog is thick, the people he meets are strange and monsters roam about when the air siren goes off. This game has some great scares as well as the story just draws you in as Harry must solve where his daughter is and what is going on in Silent Hill! The game also has multiple endings that will have you coming back to play again and again to unlock them all. This was a game that I played when released, and I can remember playing it late at night with all the lights off in the basement and some how the light of the TV Screen in the darkened room just added to the over all creepiness of the game, and that is the thing this game will give you a good fright and has some good jump scares as well as characters that you find yourself bonding to. The atmosphere in the game is also top notch from the rusted out school to the fog riddled streets everything just works so well in the game and let us not forget the amazing music as well! While I love so many of the Horror Games on the Sony Playstation, it’s Silent Hill that hands down is the best of the bunch for me and is one that I feel holds up even to this day.

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Truly Silent Hill is one of the greatest Horror Games of all time as nothing can even come close to this game in scares, atmosphere and story for me and this is hands down my favorite game for the PS1. And really this system is my all time favorite one as while I grew up playing Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo and PC Games before I got a PS1 it still is the system that had me locked as a gamer for life. Now don’t get me wrong, the NES is up there for me as one of the greatest Home Consoles of all time, it just got pushed down as being my favorite once I all the classic Horror Games started to get released for the PS1. But enough of me talking about the PS1 as we have came to the end of this update, but before we fully get away from the PS1, I would like to tell you that at some time in the coming years I am working on getting my friends to do their TOP 5 Favorite PS1 Horror Games…and if I can get enough of them to do so, I will make sure to get it up here for you readers to check out. Also I am working on Horror Game Countdowns for others systems like NES, Game Boy and even Commodore 64 so keep your eyes open for those as well. And before we go our separate ways, I would like to tell you that our next update will take us our of the world of Video Games as well as horror and into the future were rebels fight the machines…no, I am not talking about The Terminator but am talking about Captain Power! So until next time, read a comic or three, play a video game or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next time are we fight the future and all the zany robots in it!

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Bucky O’Hare The Master Of Croaking Toads

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. The Holiday Season is in full swing as the air has that chill and Jack Frost is really nipping at our noses, so I say we grab a hot chocolate and put another log on the fire as we need to talk about another iconic hero character from my youth that was a star in comics, cartoons, toys and even video games. This hero is the one and only Bucky O’Hare who was very popular for a very short time in the 1990’s. I am sure many of you readers grew up being a fan of Bucky O’Hare, and this update I am sure will flood you with memories of reading the comics, watching the cartoon, playing with the action figures as well as playing the video game and that is a good thing as the holiday season should make you feel like a kid again! So with that, let’s travel to space and see what Bucky O’Hare and his crew have in store for us this winter’s day.

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Bucky O’Hare is a character that was created by the team of Larry Hama and Michael Golden and who made his debut in 1984 in the Continuity Comic series called “Echo Of Futurepast” and would appear in that series throughout its run even gracing the cover a few times. And Bucky’s adventures in that series were a hit for readers who enjoyed his space themed adventures as the popularity of Star Wars and Star Trek was still very high around this time. And when Echo Of Futurepast came to an end after 9 issues in 1986, the character would finally get his own comic series in 1991 in order to help promote the character who was now getting his own cartoon, toys and merchandise, and it was clear that around this time toymakers were looking to cash in on the big success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as they had taken the world of comics, toys and cartoons by storm and was making many companies big money. Bucky O’Hare was already a comic star way before the TMNT were around, and he was a wise choice to try capture some of that talking fighting animal money. But while Bucky O’Hare was able to very briefly capture a big following, he quickly faded away and his comic series, cartoon and figures all came to an end and his popularity started to fade. But in some positive news, Bucky O’Hare stayed popular in England longer, and the comic series released alongside the cartoon ran for 20 issues! But while Bucky O’Hare never was able to climb to the popularity of the TMNT nor was he ever able to make that impact in culture like they did, he still to this day has a very loyal following for those who grew up with him and his crew and this to me makes Bucky a true icon of the mid 80’s and early 90’s in both cartoon and toys.

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Bucky O’Hare And The Toad Wars! started in 1991 and would be released by Claster Television for First Run Syndication and would run for one season and a total of thirteen 30 minute episodes. For this series Jason Michas voiced Bucky O’Hare, and Jay Brazeau would voice Toad Air Marshall, the main villain of the series behind KOMPLEX, the computer program that would be voiced by Long John Baldry. And I should also note that Marvel Productions was a part of this cartoon series production as well, and it’s odd that Marvel Comics never did a comic series for the cartoon as it would have made a great series for Star Comics if they would have kept that branch running. The cartoon would followed Bucky O’Hare and his crew as they would be at battle with the Toads, and crazy during this battle among the stars Earth kid Willy DuWitt who travels via portals to help in these battles. The cartoon when put out on home media would only be released on VHS here in America, and sadly not all the episodes would get an official release making fans have to get the series on the Grey Market…but overseas the complete series would get a DVD release. And when the episodes aired, I watched every episode during its run as I was a fan of this fun and silly cartoon, and a cool fun fact the first episode aired on my 12th Birthday! This cartoon was also a big hit at school as almost all my friends watched it, just like most of us also had the action figures. While the cartoon was very short lived, it made an impact on the kids of the 90’s as it was very popular at least in Waynesville, Ohio in the early 90’s.

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In 1992 and after the cartoon series would come to an end, Bucky O’Hare made the leap into the world of video games, and more importantly into the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), as a very fun side scrolling action game. The game would be released by Konami and would have you play as Bucky O’Hare as well as many members of his crew on a quest to bring down the Toads and the game offers a pretty good challenge for players and when released was pretty popular among my group of friends as many of them watched the cartoon and collected the action figures. The game is one that I own and have played over the years and even beat when I was a teenager. Now the game is considered rare and sells for around $120-$200 loose and depending on shape. Also I should say that Bucky O’Hare has gotten the Konami Handheld game treatment and also had a arcade cabinet version that could have had up to 4 players going at once. So say what you will about Bucky O’Hare now, but in the early 90’s he was super popular.

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Back in 1991 when the cartoon was going strong, Bucky O’Hare and his crew would of course be made into action figures and they were done by Hasbro who at the time was a very iconic toy company as over the years they have done such series as Transformers, Pound Puppies, Cabbage Patch Kids, Battle Beasts, M.A.S.K., G.I. Joe, Inhumanoids, WWF Superstars, Rom The Space Knight and so many more. The figures would be in scale with the Playmates TMNT figures and would feature Bucky O’Hare and his crew members Dead-Eye Duck, Willy DuWitt, Commander Dogstar, Bruiser and AF.C. Blinky and the baddies in the series included Toad Air Marshall, Al Negator, Storm Toad Trooper and Toadborg. The series would also have two vehicles released, the Toad Croaker and the Toad Double Bubble. The series would only last one wave and I can remember them being on the shelves at Hills and Hearts as a kid. I had Bucky and a Toad Trooper as a kid and I can remember my friend Jeremy having way more of them. I always wanted Bruiser but could never find him, as I can remember I even asked for him for Christmas one year. And as I have grown up, I have gotten more of these figures as I really do like the Hasbro Bucky O’Hare figures as I think they did a great job on these figures and capture the look of the characters really well. So how many of you readers grew up with these figures? Check out the middle picture below as it shows what figures were supposed to be in Wave 2 and that included for the Good Guys, a new version of Bucky, Jenny, Pit Stop Pete, Rumble Bee and Kamikaze Kamo! And for the Baddies it would have added Total Terror Toad and Sly Lee-Zard.

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Bucky O’Hare once the cartoon and action figures was released also had a flood of merchandise released for fans to collect over the years and this includes Home Media, Shits, Coloring Books, Lunch Box, Watch, Stickers, Video Games, Colorforms, Sleepingbags, Shoes, Watches, Puzzles, Halloween Costumes among other cool items for fans to collect and add to their collections. But sadly because the cartoon did not last very long nor did the toy series the merchandise would stop being made pretty fast. But thanks to Bucky O’Hare building a cult following over the years newer merchandise has been made about him showing that classic character never truly go away. And growing up, I had the toys, coloring books as well as the NES Game.

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It’s crazy to think that in 2024 that Bucky O’Hare is not as popular of a character for the days youth and to be honest he pretty much just has a following with those kids of the 80’s and 90’s who grew up reading his comics as and watched his cartoon. But to be honest I did see a young lady that came into my job buy Bucky O’Hare toys and she was super happy to get them, so maybe the modern generation will discover and become fans of him. It is now time for us to get to the review part of this update and I would like to thank both Game Swap Kettering and Lone Star Comics for having these issues in stock an making this update possible. I would also like to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s head to space and watch as Bucky and his crew croak some Toads!

Bucky O'Hare Comic 1

Bucky O’Hare # 1   **1/2
Released in 1991     Cover Price $2.00     Continuity Comics     # 1 of 5

A fleet of Toad airships are on the tail of Bucky O’Hare and his crew opening fire on them and causing Bucky to have to give the order for his crew to get to their battle stations. As Bucky and Jenny are in the cockpit Dead-Eye Duck mans the guns as Blinky and Bruce are in the engine room trying to make fast repairs. The Toads make a direct hit and this kills Bruce The Ape and leaves the ship in really bad shape and as Dead-Eye Duck and opens fire back at the Toads, Bucky rushes to the engine room to see if he can help Blinky get it fixed so they can high tail it out of the battle, but there is no time and they must make a decision fast to try it not knowing what will come of pushing the ship to warp drive. Meanwhile on Earth in the city of San Francisco were young Willy DuWitt is working on his science fair project as the youngster loves science but seems to get picked on by fellow kids for being to smart and even his own parents give him a hard time as they are hippies and want him to protest the world…and all he wants to do is work on science stuff! Back in space Bucky makes the decision to flip the switch to warp just as Willy turns on his experiment on Earth and something big happens!

This first issue is a very fun read and drops us right in the middle of the action as Bucky and his crew are under attack and must make a decision that could kill them all…but they are already pretty much dead if they don’t choose, so it’s very much a double edged sword. And at the same time super smart Earth kid Willy is working on a science fair project that seems to match up with Bucky’s warp drive issue and you know this is leading to the meeting of the minds! Bucky O’Hare is a great Captain and his crew clearly respect him and its crazy that he finds himself in a situation that could leave them all dead all because the Toads hate all things mammal! He clearly trusts his right hand gal Jenny and respects the heck out of the shooting skill of Dead-Eye Duck and even values the words of Blinky his robot friend. Poor Bruce the ape is killed dead pretty early in the issue when he takes a blast, and I will say Bucky does not seem too sad about the loss. The Toads seem to be having fun tormenting Bucky’s crew and yet also know that they are a threat and are very skilled. The issue is filled with lots of spaceship fighting action as well as drama as Bucky O’Hare must think quick on what to do to try and save his crews life, and really you can tell it’s very stressful for him. Poor Willy DuWitt is a youngster who is smart and loves science, but seems to not be able to catch a break in the world as he is mocked and picked on by his fellow youngsters and even his own parents don’t understand him as they are protesting hippies who want him to join their causes. Of course my favorite character in this issue is Bucky O’Hare cause he is a true hero, but if I had to choose another sidekick character I would say Dead-Eye Duck cause he seems to love to kill Toads and is very skilled with his gun. The cover for this issue is fun and showcases the moment Bucky and his gang meeting Willy for the first time and is eye catching. The interior artwork is done by Michael Golden and is really solid stuff and I dig the way he draws Bucky O’Hare as well as all the ships. Over all a great first issue that does it’s best to introduce the readers to the cast and starts off the story running, and with a cool cliffhanger ending makes me want to see what’s next!

Bucky O'Hare Comic 2

Bucky O’Hare # 2   ***
Released in 1991     Cover Price $2.00     Continuity Comics     # 2 of 5

In the room of Will DuWitt, things get really dark and very odd as the darkness is like a gelatin outside his windows and when he hears a noise he heads towards it as on the ship of Bucky O’Hare a gelatin like doorway that leads to the bedroom door of Willy appears and as they investigate Bucky and his crew run into Willy and everyone is shocked and slightly scarred as it’s clear a dimension has been crossed and has caused chaos in both dimensions. Willy and Blinky figure out that the the science project and their damaged engine warp is what caused this rift and is also somehow protecting Bucky’s ship from the Toads attacks. This causes the Toads to leave to get bigger ships to attack with and Willy comes aboard and says that he can build them a new warp unit that way they can get away safely as Willy heads back to his room for parts he is followed by Bucky and Dead-Eye as Jenny and Blinky stay behind to guard the ship and the portal. As Willy gathers the parts the Mother Toad Ship appears and they storm the ship and take Jenny hostage, a short time later Blinky appears and tells Bucky of the attack and capture and this causing Bucky to spring into action! Now Bucky O’Hare along with Dead-Eye Duck, Blinky and Willy DuWitt band together with one cause and that is to save Jenny from the Toads.

This second issue is lots of fun as the plot has Bucky meeting Earth kid Willy who is their only hope to fix their warp drive and to save their butts from being blown up, but also we get the drama of Jenny being kidnapped by the Toads! Bucky O’Hare finds himself now being faced with having to trust a young Earth kid with the maintenance of his ship as well as that he is not really a spy or a danger to his crew, as they kind of just bump into each other thanks to a weird dimension portal door. And like any good Captain Bucky also makes sure to get his crew to their stations and when one is kidnapped and taken he has a call to arms to rescue her. Willy DuWitt himself as well shows that he is noble as he jumps right in to help the crew by repairing the engine and as well going with them to fight the Toads to rescue Jenny. We also learn for sure that Bucky and his crew are out numbered by the Toads who are doing what they do on the orders of Toad Commander who wants all furry lives to come to an end in their galaxy. The issue also has more ship battles to add to the action and we learn that when the dimension door is open the ship can be protected by a force field of time and dimension pieces. The cover for this issue is pretty cool and has Bucky and his friends in a small ship trying to fight off the Toads…this does not happen in this issue but it’s still a great cover. The interior art is once more done by Michael Golden and is very solid work and fitting for the subject that is Bucky O’Hare. I feel that the second issue is slightly better than the first as we are now into the heart of the story while issue one was more of a introduction to our cast of good guy characters. So now lets see what issue three has in store for us, and if Bucky is able to save Jenny and croak some Toads in the next issue!

Bucky O'Hare Comic 3

Bucky O’Hare # 3   **1/2
Released in 1991     Cover Price $2.00     Continuity Comics     # 3 of 5

Bucky O’Hare along with Willy, Blinky and Dead-Eye are back on their ship and are trying to track down the Toad Mother Ship so that they can come up with a plan in order to save Jenny…but they are having to luck! Willy DuWitt asks for a history lesson on the Toads and Blinky is happy to help as he projects it and Willy learns that the Toads were a peaceful race until they became greedy for goods and made the mistake of creating a super computer called Komplex that ended up mind controlling all the Toads and turned them into it’s army of foot soldiers with the goal to conquer the galaxy. And that the mammals of the galaxy is why Bucky O’Hare and his crew was created to fight back and stop them from killing as well as stealing the planets they conquered natural resources. And soon Dead-Eye Duck spots the ship that is feeding off a small planet for energy, and Bucky lands the ship on the other side of the planet and they wait for Jenny who uses her powers to beat the heck out of the Toads and makes her way to her rescue.

What a fun issue as the plot of this one is mostly about what has caused the Toads to turn into such a war hungry and evil race and it all came down to them being very greedy and trying to but all types of things and trusting a mega computer to solve all their issues…but the computer in turn just takes over their brain and makes them fighters for it’s own conquest for power. With the smaller plot being the rescue of Jenny who we learn is one badass lady as she has some very powerful powers an uses them in order to knock out a wave of Toads before calmly walking out of the ship. I also like that in this issue we see Willy DuWitt get his space costume that is really a Berserker Baboon’s outfit and that is a good thing as we also find out that Toads fear the Baboons! This issue also gives us our first look at Toad Commander who is the one threatening and questioning Jenny when she was a prisoner. While this is a good issue it really is more of a history lesson and the action is slowed way down and the rescue of Jenny happens way to fast, but while it is kind of a slow issue the fact we get more of a background on the world the comic series is building makes it a very solid read. The one thing that I have to say is that we are now three issues into a comic series that only ran for five issues and the biggest letdown this far is that we have not gotten to see Bucky O’Hare kick some Toad ass in hand to hand or even gun to gun as of yet. The cover for this issue is the best so far and has Bucky and his crew being surrounded by the Toads and is super eye-catching. And I am sure you guessed it Michael Golden once more did the interior art and like before it’s great stuff. With that lets see what issue four has in store for us, and if we finally get to see Bucky in action and bring down some Toads!

Bucky O'Hare Comic 4

Bucky O’Hare # 4   **1/2
Released in 1991     Cover Price $2.00.    Continuity Comics    # 4 of 5

On this unknown planet Bucky O’Hare and Blinky must find the person in charge to sign some papers giving them permission to fight against the Toads while Dead-Eye Duck and Willy get on a jet scooter to scope out the Toad Mega Ship and see if they can find Jenny. As Bucky meets the strange owner of the planet a Mouse like creature who lives in a utopia room, Dead-Eye and Willy have Toad Fighter Ships aware they are there and Jenny is trying to find her way off the massive ship without exposing to much of her powers. Dead-Eye and Willy are in deep trouble an they come up with an idea to crash land inside the Toad Mega Ship as this would make it so the Toad Fighters can not open fire on them, and in horror Jenny watches as her friends come busting in as does Bucky who can see what is going on thanks to a magic mystical ball that the mouse has.

What a cliffhanger as this issue leaves you hanging on wither or not Dead-Eye Duck and Willy DuWitt survive their crash landing inside the massive Toad Ship all the while their friends can not do a thing to help them! We also get a look at Komplex who has now made himself a robotic body and is watching Jenny as he is intrigued by her witch like powers and wants to learn all he can about her and it. Bucky O’Hare and Blinky are stuck this issue dealing with the odd ball owner of the planet who will not grant them permission to fight, but does spend his time trying to give them things and even allows them to see what their friends are doing. Commander Toad wakes up after being knocked out and is still talking about his fear of Baboons and when he sees the suit on Willy he gets scared and sends out tons of Toad Troopers to protect the ship. Dead-Eye Duck does his best to try and get he and Willy out of trouble and once more shows that he has skills as he is able to out move the Toad Ships as well as at least make it in once piece to crash land inside the big Toad ship. While I enjoyed this issue I once more have to point out that we get a chase in ships, but no action as Bucky himself is trying to get a paper signed instead of fighting alongside his crew to rescue one of his own that is in danger…just very odd as the main hero in this series this far has gotten to do very little. The cover is ok and once more just showcases a space ship chase, and the interior art by Golden is good. It is crazy to think that we only have one more issue to go an this far the creative team has kind of just putted along and have yet to showcase what Bucky O’Hare and his team can do, so lets hope the final issue gives us the action we need.

Bucky O'Hare Comic 5

Bucky O’Hare # 5   **1/2
Released in 1992     Cover Price $2.00     Continuity Comics    # 5 of 5

Bucky O’Hare and Blinky soon find that the Mouse has control of reality and that the lavish utopia they were just in was not real, while Dead-Eye and Willy survive the crash but the suit of Willy’s has caught fire and Dead-Eye shoots him with foam to put the flames out. The Toad Troopers show up just in time to see Willy who looks like a Baboon be foaming around his mouth and they think he is mad and the Troopers run away in fear. The Toad Commander ends up sending a Void-Droid out in order to kill Dead-Eye and Willy who are looking for Jenny as well as a way out, and the Void-Droid is very dangerous…but Willy is able to destroy it with one shot from his squirt gun! Shortly after Dead-Eye and Willy find Jenny and the three end up in a workshop an see a Toad Ship and know that this is their way to escape. Meanwhile Mouse is flying Bucky and Blinky on a rock to their friends all the while talking about the universe and it’s secrets. While inside Toad Troopers are on the heels of Dead-Eye and friends as we end on that cliffhanger.

Whelp, as you can see, this comic series just never got finished as the terrible Continuity Comics never released the rest that was just a reprints of a over priced 1986 Graphic Novel that was around 48 pages that they charged $40.00 for. And if Continuity didn’t fill every issue with a mountain of ads this series could have been fully released. And I am not sure why the comic was not finished, but if I had to guess maybe low sales or even just pure laziness from the company. The plot of this issue has Dead-Eye and Willy surviving the crash inside the Toad Ship and finding Jenny all the while Bucky is stuck with the Mouse who just babbles on about how smart they are and the secrets of the universe…like Bucky never makes it to the Toad Ship in this issue…so silly. One part of the comic that was really awesome was the Toad Troopers running in fear when they think Willy DuWitt is a rabid baboon due to the foam he was sprayed with to put out the flames as his suit was on fire. I feel that if you were a reader who was a big fan of Bucky O’Hare or even just discovered the character thanks to the toys and cartoon this unfinished mini series did the character dirty as he never gets to showcase why he is such a bad ass green fur rabbit captain from outer space. As this whole series besides the first issue they do not showcase him as the hero we the fans know he is. Plus I feel that they make Dead-Eye Duck, Jenny, Blinky and Willy DuWitt seem more like the heroes as throughout the five issues they see more action and bring down more Toads than Bucky does. While the pacing is off from issue to issue it makes sense as the comics are just taken from the old Graphic Novel and it was clear Continuity put zero time and care into these single issue reprints as they took this chance just to over kill the comics with ads and the same ads in almost every issue at that. The cover for this issue is really cool and shows Bucky, Dead-Eye and Willy all looking like they are ready for action as a portal is behind them. The whole comic series interior art was done by Michael Golden and his style is pretty cool and very fitting as I feel he draws not only Bucky O’Hare great but also space in general. I really did enjoy this series up to the unfinished end and think that Bucky O’Hare deserved better than how Continuity Comics treated him and that publisher would close up in 1994 after many years of legal issues, poor sales and readers pointing out just how poorly their comics were done. To sum it up a fun read for sure but unfairly treated by a terrible publisher who clearly had no respect for their readers nor creators. Checkout the artwork below to see the style use by Golden in this series.

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Bucky O’Hare was a great character who entertained his fans through the 1980’s and early 1990’s, and some could say even to this day as new fans have found his comics, cartoon and toys and have discovered just how cool he and his crew are. I really wish that at the time of his cartoon’s release that a company like Marvel Comics or Archie Comics would have gotten the comic rights as I truly think that they would have done him justice and would have more than likely given a true final issue and not pulled the plug before the story was even finished. And for those who have never read or watched Bucky O’Hare, give it a shot this holiday season and see if you become a fan. Well with that, our Bucky update has come to an end and our next update will be our big Christmas Eve one and will be about the Greek God Zeus! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we spend some time on Mount Olympus with the father of such heroes as Hercules!

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NES Challenge: King Kong 2

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and another NES Challenge.  This time around in honor of my favorite giant movie monster King Kong coming back to the silver screen in “Kong: Of Skull Island,” I decided to try my luck at beating King Kong 2 from Konami on the good old RES! I am sure many of you are scratching your head and saying “King Kong 2 that was never made for the Nintendo, this must be a homebrew game!” This is only half true as the game was made by Konami for the Famicon in Japan and thanks to the team up of my friend Brett from Bad Or Rad, Pac N Sac Dave and Todd The Fox, I was able to get a custom version of this game that plays on all American systems and even has a custom box and label! So sit back, relax and take a trip with me as I look back on King Kong Lives and try to beat King Kong 2 on the good old RES!

So before we play the game, let’s discuss a little more about King Kong 2 that’s American title is King Kong Lives!

King Kong Lives (1986)

“A giant ape King Kong, which was shot and fell off the World Trade Center tower, appears to be alive, but is in coma for 10 years and desperately needs a blood transfusion in order to have an artificial heart implanted. Suddenly, in the rainforest, another gigantic ape is found – this time a female. She is brought to the USA, and the heart is successfully implanted. But then King Kong, having sensed the female ape, breaks loose.”

When I heard about a new King Kong movie in 1986, I was hyped as the giant monkey has always had a special place in my heart, but I would not get to see the film in theaters as my parents had no interest in seeing it.  In fact, my Dad made fun of the concept of King Kong living with a over sized pace maker. So I would not get to see it until it appeared on Home Video, and I will get to my thoughts after we touch a little on the films history and production. The De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, headed by the famed movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, decided that after the hit King Kong remake they made in 1976 the world needed a sequel ten years later, and so King Kong Lives was put into production and unleashed onto the movie going masses. The film had John Gullermin in the director’s chair again as he was for the 1976 remake, and the film cast such actors as Linda Hamilton, Brian Kerwin, John Ashton and Michael Forest and had a huge marketing campaign around it before and during its release. The film’s score was done by John Scott and is solid work; while not memorable, it’s still good. The film was a major flop when released in theaters, and critics and fans both panned the film for the silly storyline and its overall “boring” nature. Famed and respected film critic Roger Ebert gave the film 1 out of 4 stars and as of this update it holds a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes! The film had a budget of $18 million and only brought in $4,711,220.00 making it lose lots of cash.  It was # 113 of the year, only beating out such other cult films as “No Retreat, No Surrender”, “The Wraith”, “Deadtime Stories” and “Night Of The Creeps” at the box office. And while before it hit theaters it had a massive roar, once in it went out with a whimper.

When my parents rented King Kong Lives for my brother and I, I can remember I was pretty hyped to watch it as the box cover was amazing and had King Kong looking pissed off on it! When watching the film, I can remember my brother not being into it as I was glued to it with wonder.  While the film was not good, in my young mind it didn’t matter as on our TV screen was a new adventure of Kong! As a kid I always took that stand with bad movie sequels: at least we got to see the character again.  Sadly I still have that thought pattern to this day with some films like Halloween, which had some bad sequels under its belt, all of which I enjoy. After seeing King Kong Lives for the first time via a VHS rental, I would go on to watch it on cable tons of time as well as on TBS when shown edited for TV. And later on, I would go on to own it on both VHS and DVD and still dust this silly movie off from time to time and enjoy Kong’s rampage to save his lady. The things I really like about this film are that King Kong, Lady Kong and Son Of Kong look great for the time, and the rubber suits, while dated now, captured my young imagination! Another thing I liked about the film is the quick shot of actress Linda Hamilton’s boobs; as a kid that was always a highlight! I also liked the score music and the scenes when King Kong took on the army. The downside of this film for me was the fact that in many spots it does drag, and at times it seems to forget that viewers are watching to see King Kong.  The other part that’s silly is how they explain that Kong is still alive after falling off the World Trade Center and must have a pacemaker put in so that his heart will function, only to die of a heart attack in the end. While King Kong Lives is not a perfect sequel and is riddled with silly scripting and flaws, I still find it to be a fun entertaining film that I enjoyed from my past. If you have not seen it, go in with a clear mind and enjoy King Kong doing what he does best and that’s be a giant gorilla on a rampage.

While the film was a flop, it still sparked some merchandise that includes the film itself being released on VHS, Laserdisc and DVD. Plus the Famicom game “King Kong 2: Ikari no Megaton Punch” was released and entertained the gamers of Japan. Movie posters for the theaters and for video rental stores were made to try to entice movie watchers to check it out. The score soundtrack to the film found its way to vinyl, cassette and CD, and yes indeed, I own the CD and have played it on Alpha Rhythms on WYSO! These are just the items I can think of that came out based on this film, as I am sure other merchandise was made, official and unofficial! I wish at the time of release that a comic book adaptation, paperback novel and action figures were made as I would have loved to have owned them all. So if you’re a fan of King Kong Lives, there is some cool stuff that you should add to your collection.

In 1986, to go along with the film King Kong Lives, video game company Konami decided that the world was in need of a video game version.  So they made King Kong 2: Ikari no Megaton Punch to satisfy the demand from gamers in Japan that wanted a game based around the film. The game allows players to take control of King Kong as he goes on a rescue mission to save Lady Kong from the government scientist and must battle the army as well as other large creatures in a top down maze adventure that lasts for a total of nine levels. The goal of course is to rescue Lady Kong who is the love of your life and who also saved your life by giving blood when you were in a coma for 10 years. The game was not a major hit in Japan and never made it to the US for a release. I should also note that a game based on King Kong Lives was also made in 1986 for the MSX home computer called “King Kong 2: Yomigaeru Densetsu,” once more only for Japan and also made by Konami.  This time around you played as the human Mitchell, and it was a role playing game! While neither game set the world of video games on fire, they still left their mark for gamers who have played them.

So we have taken a look at King Kong Lives the movie, and we learned about the video game that I am about to challenge and hope to conquer! I have failed at trying to beat Werewolf: The Last Warrior and Adventures Of Bayou Billy for the NES, but I am going into this game with a positive attitude and the will to beat this game! So here it is, my NES Challenge: King Kong 2!

I selected the day March 7, 2017 to have my showdown as the weather outside was in the 50’s and rain fell most of the day with grey skies in between. After running a few errands that involved Sparkle Comics business I filled up my glass with water and heated up a chicken leg and was ready to save Lady Kong! Once settled into my chair I turned on my RES (Retro-Bit Entertainment System) and grabbed my NES Controller and was ready to save Lady Kong. I started my adventure and punched and jumped my way through what looks like a valley leading to a military base that is protected by green blobs and collected rocks and also found hidden doors! Each of these doors led Kong to a new area and finally to a giant bad guy who reminded me of a shell throwing shells! After dying and wandering around some more, I ended up finding a giant spider to get another key in my quest! My next challenge was fighting three green dragons who wanted me dead, but thanks to my trust rocks that was not on the menu! So far in the game I was feeling pretty good, while I did die a few times I was doing really well and collecting the keys and stomping out enemies with my punches, jumping stomps and rocks. I was also puzzled as to why the underground levels looked like the military base was an alien star ship, but I guess they needed to spice it up to make the video game pop more. After wandering around more and smashing and jumping over things I kept on my goal of collecting keys and smashing monsters! While wandering around the same areas and going into doors that lead nowhere was the majority of the game up to this point, I would get lucky and find a door that would lead to a enemy. The areas would change as I found myself also wandering the streets and smashing things, but mostly I found myself just jumping over bad guys to usher Kong into the next area and collecting more keys. Finally after a few hours of playing, I was lucky enough to make it to the end and fight three rows of giant robots that my rocks helped me smash through and after beating them I was at the door and rescued Lady Kong! In the end, I got a cool cut scene of King Kong and Lady Kong back on Skull Island and it shows Son Of Kong! Finally I did it! I conquered a NES Challenge and beat King Kong 2, and I find this to be a perfect way to celebrate the release of Kong Of Skull Island in theaters! While the game was somewhat of a challenge I found it to be more puzzling than hard as most of the game I found myself just wandering around looking for the right doors. The enemies of the game were hard with the final three rows of bosses being the most difficult. To sum it up, this game is worth playing if you like King Kong and movie tie-in games otherwise it would be very forgettable to most gamers besides diehard Kong fans. But once more I have to say…I did it!

The majority of this game offers the same enemies, blobs and helicopters, but some of the bosses at least put up a good fight! So here is to all of the military forces, the blobs and all the bosses that did their best to keep me away from rescuing Lady Kong. So while they didn’t stop me, here is to all the bad guys from this game who tried their best to keep me at bay; from the weird Shell Monster all the way to the three rows of suited assassins, thanks for making this game a challenge! Below are some pictures of the bad guys from King Kong 2, and I should also note NONE of these baddies are in the movie.

I also just wanted to touch up on one bit of King Kong bizarre news before we get to the comics.  For the premiere of Kong: Skull Island in Vietnam, they had a huge event planned that showcased live actors & dancers and a huge set complete with a 16 foot King Kong! There was dancing and a light show, and for the main attraction the giant King Kong was to shock and fill the crowd with wonder and excitement, but sadly it filled them with fear as King Kong burst into flames and became a towing inferno as the crowd fled the area while others armed with their cellphones took video and pictures of Kong burning to the ground! Lucky for everyone, no one was hurt, and the massive fire was put out 15 minutes after it started, but sadly by that time old King Kong was roasted and toasted. No one is sure how the fire started some say that it was caused by the heat from the lights, others claim that it was a misplaced torch from one of the actors on stage while others blamed Godzilla! One thing is for sure that while King Kong might have turned to ash his box office draw is legendary…you get it…never mind. Check out the picture below for the flaming Kong in all his glory.

So with a win under my belt, I think it’s time we put away the RES and turn our attention toward the main attraction of my blog the comic book reviews! While doing this update, I thought long and hard about which King Kong Comic series I wanted to tackle.  I really had three choices: the 1991 King Kong adaptation from Monster Comics, the 2007 mini series by Markosia or the current 2016 series going on by Boom, and to be honest, I almost considered the 2017 comic series by Legendary that ties into the film Kong Skull Island! After sitting and thinking about it all, I decided to go with the Markosia series called “Kong King Of Skull Island” as I felt it was a wise choice and added new adventures for King Kong to go in the comic book world. I want to thank Mavericks Cards And Comics for ordering me these issues years back for my pull file, and I can hear the Kong worshipers telling me to remind you all that I grade these on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you’re ready let’s walk away from the video game and head through the giant wooden gates and into the world of comics and see what King Kong has in store for us! I should also note that I really do love King Kong and when he clashes with Godzilla for Legendary Pictures in 2020, I will be cheering on the big gorilla as he has always been one of my favorite giant movie monsters, and that’s no disrespect to Godzilla as I love him as well….just not as much as Kong. Oh and I want to also alert you my friends and readers that this comic series is based on the novel by Joe DeVito who tried to sue Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures as he claimed they stole his idea for their movie from his book! Did they who knows but one things for sure I am looking forward to reading this comic series again and some issues for the first time!

Kong King Of Skull Island # 0  **
Released in 2007    Cover Price $1.99    Markosia    # 0 of 5

Carl Denham is on a massive ship on his way back to Skull Island after the events of New York that left King Kong dead and his reputation dragged through the mud and piled with lawsuits against him. His friend Englehorn is the Captain of the ship an they are remembering back to their first time on Skull Island when a pterodactyl attacks and picks up Denham and once over the ocean a giant sea monsters pops out of the water and attacks the pterodactyl causing Denham to plunge into the cold water below.

Issue 0 acts as a very small build up for the comic mini series and follows Carl Denham and Captain Englehorn heading back to Skull Island after King Kong was shot down and killed on top of the Empire State Building. While on this journey back dinosaurs attack and leave Denham floating in the ice cold water, leaving us the reader wondering how he will survive and just why he has left America in order to return to Skull Island. Carl Denham in this issue seems lost and upset over the death of Kong and all the lawsuits he faces from New York, but while down and out he seems very happy to be at sea along with his friend Captain Englehorn whom seems not to be judging him on the incident.   Captain Englehorn seems to be just along for the ride even if he doesn’t want to go near Skull Island again he is willing to do so to help his friend. This issue has some drama and action but is a little weak as with no Kong and mostly talking on the boat its does not have the “epic” feel that most King Kong comics and films have. The cover is eye catching and has Kong looking over Skull Island and the interior art done by Dan O’Connor is fantastic as is the story by Chuck Satterlee based on the novel work of Joe DeVito. Not much more to say about this very short issue 0 besides it good and does it’s best to build up the coming story.

Kong King Of Skull Island # 1  **1/2
Released in 2007     Cover Price $3.99     Markosia     # 1 of 5

The year is 1957 and Vince Denham the son of Carl is a paleontologist who doubts that his dad’s discovery King Kong ever truly excited and was nothing more than a hoax. His friend Jack Driscoll witnessed Kong and tries his best to prove and tell what he knows about the event that shocked New York as Kong’s body has been missing and never seen again and he wants them both to travel to Skull Island and see the legend for himself. Jack Driscoll takes Vince to the island and things get bad when the massive ship takes some damage and needs major repairs. As Jack and some of the crew work on the ship Vince and others take a row boat to the island but don’t make it to shore when they are attacked by a underwater creatures that leaves the crew dead and Vince badly injured. Jack himself makes it to the Island and goes on a hunt to find Vince and comes across the bodies of past explores as Vince is having his wounds treated by a Islander story teller and her young female assistant and neither will tell Vince of his fathers whereabouts.

This first issue tries to bring us up to date on the characters from the classic film. Ann and Jack are now married and Jack owns his own shipping boats, Carl Denham has went missing some time back and his son Vince is wanting to find his father and get answers about King Kong. Captain Englehorn is also missing and no one seems to be on the look out for him. And King Kong’s body has gone missing after his tragic death in New York and some think he was nothing more than a hoax. The plot of this issue has Vince getting family friend Jack to take him to Skull Island to find answers and all he has found this far is wounds and weird Islanders who will not answer his questions. Vince Denham seems like a young man who had his life in order and loves his job as a paleontologist but also seems to have a black spot on his soul, as he really wants answers from his father who has vanished and left him and his mother to answer for the crimes he committed with Kong. Jack Driscoll is a man who is loyal to the Denham family and found his true love thanks to the original trip to Skull Island, he seems to be wise in age now but also loves the thrill of adventure. The Storyteller Islander seems to know more than she is sharing and I cant wait to see what her story is. The comic is very wordy and not much action happens till the end of the issue but it does a great job of setting up our story and introduce and reintroduce our cast of characters. This far I think my favorite character is Jack Driscoll as I find him to be the classic hero type and knowing what he has been through thanks to the movie he is just a great classic character. The cover for this issue is eye catching and has Kong beating up a giant snake and the interior art is done by Dan O’Connor and has a classic comic feel that brings this story to life. Over all this first issue is lots of fun and like issue # 0 is a great way to build the mini series. Lets see what adventure issue two has in store for us.

Kong King Of Skull Island # 2   **1/2
Released in 2007      Cover Price $3.99       Markosia       # 2 of 5

Vince’s fever from his wounds has broken and The Storyteller and her assistant Kara show Vince a old statue of Kong and she decides to tell him a story of the past the was about one of the Islands Princesses who wants to save her people and bring peace and the old wall’s gate being struck by lighting and man eating creatures called Deathrunners escaped and how the young Princess became friends with The Storyteller, but this does not interest Vince who wants to know about his father and Kong. Meanwhile Jack must fight his way through the jungle and even must kill a giant lizard with a stick! Vince soon finds that Kara hates him and wanted him to die in the water as The Storyteller stops her rant and gears up to share more of the story of the past.

This second issue is once more very wordy and packs some action and adventure but is more about the story of the past and Vince wondering why he is hated so much by one of his rescuers. This issues plot has Vince regaining his strength and listing to a tale from The Storyteller who is speaking of the wall, the political tribe tension as well as Kong. And all the while we follow Jack who is trying to find Vince and is trying his best to survive the jungle. While the story this far is interesting I am also getting a little annoyed that we are only getting brief moments of King Kong in flashbacks and I for one want more of him and less of long winded story telling of events of the past. I mean a book about Kong should have more than a few panels of Kong over the course of three issues at this point. The only other funny thing I noticed in this issue is that Vince seems to be more of a whiner and is very concerned why Kara dislikes him and less about the fact every one on the rowboat with him is dead. We also get to see Deathrunners strange lizard like creatures who clearly eat humans and they are pretty cool but again have very little panel time. Not much more to say about this issue besides more plot build up, less action and adventure and the cover is great and show Kong beating up Dinosaurs. Oh and the interior art is done by Dan O’Connor and is still great. Lets just move on to issue three and see if we get more stories or more action.

Kong King Of Skull Island # 3   **1/2
Released in 2008     Cover Price $3.99     Markosia     # 3 of 5

Vince Denham listens as The Storyteller gives him a little more of the story as in the past a tribes holy man is wanting to give human sacrifice to a giant lizard they named Gaw, this does not set well with the Princess who along with her lover a warrior head into the jungle to find herbs that they think will make the giant beasts tamable. As they get deeper into the jungle they come upon a young Kong and his father under attack by Gaw and Deathrunners and after a brief fight the larger father Kong is killed and the young escapes into the jungle with Gaw and his minions hot on his tail. The Princess and The Warrior move a little further and find a ship and white men looking for help! As she tells this Kara enters and is mad that The Storyteller is given all this information to Vince as she still thinks he is a bad person and will bring more explores to their island. While all this story telling is going on Jack is still roaming around looking for the son of his friend and is getting closer to his goal.

The story telling continues and this issues plot has the Princess and her warrior boyfriend traveling to the jungle in order to find some herbs they think will help make the giant monsters around them more controllable, but some of the tribes are starting to worship the giant monsters as Gods and worst the one named Gaw has made Skull Island his and even has killed a Kong and is on the hunt for a smaller one. All the while Vince is listing to The Storytellers tale and is also still on watch as Kara truly wishes him dead. So as you can see we get more tribe politics but we do also finally get a quick Kong fight that leaves one of them dead and shows that our books main villain is an evil reptile killing machine. Vince at this point is getting a little stronger but is brain is now an open to the tales of the old woman as he is trying to understand the history of the island and how his father ties in. Jack is still just stuck in the jungle looking for his friend and is doing his best to survive. The Storyteller and Kara are at odds with one another over how much they should share with Vince, but the while at odds respect is still in play. The Princess and The Warrior while in the past are doing what they can in order so save peoples lives as the primitive ways are trying to come back and with that means human sacrifice. The two Kong’s are father and son and while strong the father is just out numbered and killed as the younger giant ape is now on the run and I am sure he will be the one we will later know as King Kong. The Gaw is a red skinned lizard giant monster who is brutal and attacks with fury and worse the Deathrunners seem to help him bring down his prey. While we do get some action and adventure this issue is much like the others and more about the story of the Island and I am ok with that I just hope we get a great fight in the end between Gaw and Kong. I must say the cover for this issue is very eye catching and is sure to please fans of King Kong but the interior art this time around is done by artist Scott Larson and I must say I am not a fan of his style of art as I found it sloppy and not able to capture the epic nature of Kong and the world of Skull Island. While this issue is not amazing it still was fun and for all the lack of Kong action I am enjoying the tale of Skull Island and lets see what issue four has in store.

Kong King Of Skull Island # 4  **1/2
Released in 2008     Cover Price $3.99     Markosia      # 4 of 5

The Storyteller continues her tale of the past to Vince as she shares that the white sailors where lead by Captain Magwich and their boat was in need of major repair and they are welcomed in by the villagers who in turn ask them for help to capture the last Kong. The Warrior and the sailors enter the jungle and disappear for awhile but finally return with the captured young Kong. The Holy Man still pushes for human sacrifice and with one they set up Gaw and pour super hot boiling oil on him and this also sets the captured Kong off who breaks free and rushes into the jungle looking for a final fight. Sadly for the Princess her father the King has passed away and her people are still at odds as the Holy Man and the Sailors are still around and could be ready to cause problems. Meanwhile in modern times Jack wonders the jungle and soon finds tribe people who have a Kong under their control and he himself is now taken captive and lead to Vince who is happy to see his long time family friend and for the major surprise The Storyteller takes him to see his father Carl who has lived this whole time on the island!

This time around the story is how in the past the islanders captured the young Kong in order to control and defend them from Gaw who has been their tormentor for way to many years, but also how outsiders are starting to influence some of the people and with their firearms they could help the Holy Man gain control of the island. All the while Vince is hearing this history lesson and by the end of this issue Vince is reunited with both Jack and his father Carl. The Storyteller and Kara seem less at odds and seem to get slight joy of letting Vince see his father again. I really like how the outsiders are a factor now in the past storyline as it’s clear they could tip the scales into the favor of what ever side they decide to take if they take any by the end. I also enjoy the fact that the Princess is the only one who showed the young Kong compassion and brought him food, drink and tended his wounds from being captured. I also like how the villager’s fights back against Gaw and catch him on fire with oil and this also makes you wonder what he will do in the next issue for revenge against them for turning on him. It’s nice to have Carl Denham back into the story and see him and Jack Driscoll reunited as it gives a real classic feel to see the films two main heroes together again. Kong while he does not do much its still great to at least have him around and know that in the final issue coming up he is going to have a battle to the death with Gaw! The cover for this one is awesome just like the all the covers that came before it. The Interior art is a team up of Dan O’Connor and Scott Larson with the later’s sloppy art sticking out like a sore thumb. Over all a good issue while nothing special I found it to be a good read that made me look forward to the Kong vs. Gaw final fight, so with that lets move onto the final issue.

Kong King Of Skull Island # 5  **1/2
Released in 2008     Cover Price $3.99     Markosia     # 5 of 5

Carl Denham and son Vince exchange words and son is not happy with his father as he feels that he left him and his mother to deal with the drama of King Kong, but The Storyteller calms everyone down and they all enter Skull Islands skull cave and find that Carl brought the remains of King Kong with him to return him home! Meanwhile in the past The Queen finds the herbs that helps tame the beasts in the lost city but she and her people also soon find that Captain Magwich have other ideas that is not about helping them kill Gaw but to help himself to the islands gold! But when the Holy Man finds out that the sailors have turned on them he summons Gaw who kills the Captain and turns his sights on the others but they humans are saved when King Kong shows up and kills Gaw and ends his path of revenge! When back at the village The Warrior is killed, The Holy Man rises to full power and The Princess goes into hiding and has become The Storyteller and she shares that Carl has been writing their stories down and when he is about to get praise they find that he has died in his sleep. Vince and Jack return to the fixed ship and they sail home and Vice has a new respect for his father and Skull Island.

In this fifth and final issue we get every storyline from this series tied up, King Kong’s body has been brought back to Skull Island, Vince finds his father and gets the answer as to why he has been missing all these years, Carl has spend years helping the Islanders teaching them English as well and taking down their story, Jack gets out of the jungle and finds his missing friends and The Storyteller passes down the tales and lets Kara know that she is now Queen of the people! This comic is more drama than adventure and while the story was lots of fun I really did wish for more King Kong fighting action. King Kong in this comic series goes from being a frightened youth to a vengeful fighting machine and while not in the mini series that much when he is shown he demands the reader’s attention. Vince and Carl Denham serve their parts in the story as two outsiders to Skull Island whom are trying to find answers and peace and must find it not only with the people of the island but also with each other. Jack Driscoll is a man who is friends with the Denham family and even when the odds of survival looks grim he still never gives up. Captain Englehorn we are to guess has died on the island as besides issue # 0 he never makes an appearance. The Storyteller and Kara as well both have a purpose to the story as they are tools to share the past as well as share forgiveness and fear as Kara is clearly fearful of what the white man can bring to their island. The Holy Man and most of the Sailors from the past as well show that greed and power can make people do sinister and evil things to benefit themselves. Gaw the giant god lizard was also a very evil beast who ruled Skull Island with an iron claw and seemed to get joy out of killing, so its fitting that he is killed by Kong by being impaled! What worked for this comic mini series based on a book is the fact it had a fun story that opened up the past and history of King Kong as well as Skull Island plus most of the characters are likeable and all feel like golden age Hollywood stars. The downside of this series is that in some parts is boring, not enough King Kong and some issues the art is blah! This issue has yet another amazing cover but the inside art was done by Scott Larson and is a little weak for the final fate of our characters. To sum this up this comic mini series based on King Kong and a book is a good read for fans of Kong but does have flaws that distract from what could have been an epic four star comic adventure. Check out the artwork below to see the styles used in this comic series for King Kong and Gaw that has both artists work.

I have always had a soft spot for Giant Monster movies and grew up watching them on TBS and shows like Super Scary Saturday and while I love Godzilla I have always had a place at the top of my heart for King Kong and with the release of “Kong Of Skull Island” to theaters this year I knew I had to revisit the giant ape here on Rotten Ink and I am glad I did as I have had this comic series in my boxes since they came out and never got around to reading the full series. But for our next update I am leaving Skull Island and heading to the golden age of comic book heroes as we take a look at the one and only Red Demon a sadly mostly forgotten hero from the late 1940’s! So until next time read a comic or three, watch a movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host, see you back very soon for our look at Red Demon.

NES Challenge: The Adventures of Bayou Billy

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! I am sure you’re wondering why we are here in the bayou of Louisiana in the middle of gator ally.  Well, we are here waiting on the one and only Bayou Billy! So you readers know what that means, we are at another NES Challenge.  This time around we will be playing The Adventures Of Bayou Billy on the good old RES (Retro-Bit Entertainment System) to see if I can beat it once and for all! Bayou Billy is a game for the Nintendo that almost every kid I knew owned, and not a one of them could beat it much like Dick Tracy and Goonies II that seemed almost impossible to beat and made for many hours of frustrating play. My cousin Stephen Alexander hates this game as he also has never beat it and in fact can barely get off the first level, and he is a pretty good old school NES game player with over the last few years beating such titles as The Karate Kid, Monster In My Pocket, Jaws, Karnov, Metal Fighter and Super Mario Bros, to name a few. So as you can see I have a pretty tough challenge ahead, but I am up for it as for this play through I am going to pig out on Cajun style food and drink to get me into the mindset of Billy! So let’s watch out for gators and see if we can lend a hand to Bayou Billy as he tries to save his lady from the evil grasp of Godfather Gordon!

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In 1989 Konami unleashed The Adventures of Bayou Billy onto the masses in North America, and a cult game was born. The game is a hybrid of side scrolling beat-‘em up, jeep driving and light gun shooter that follows Billy from level to level as he fights his way through a total of 9 of them. The plot of this adventure is pretty simple: you take control of Billy West, a former U.S. soldier turned vigilante who goes by the name Bayou Billy who is going up against crime boss Godfather Gordon’s smuggling operation.  For this, the crime lord kidnaps his girlfriend Annabelle Lane! This of course is a trap and leads Billy on a butt kicking New Orleans high stakes adventure to get her back and to stop Godfather Gordon’s reign of terror. The game was originally released in Japan in 1988 by Konami under the title “Mad City.”  When coming to America, the game went through some changes as they decided to make the game way harder, added in voices and laughter plus changed some background layouts & colors! The game was a pretty big hit for the NES and is one that most kids of the late 80’s had in their game collection.

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I first learned of The Adventures Of Bayou Billy thanks to TV commercials that aired on TV during Saturday Morning Cartoons as well as after school toons and can remember being pretty hyped to play the game as the hero reminded me of the movie character Crocodile Dundee. My parents decided that we did not need The Adventures Of Bayou Billy in our collection and did not buy our household a copy, but lucky for me, neighborhood kid brothers Jeremy and Aaron did and they would invite me over to play the game or try to as I can remember it being so hard that it became almost a challenge between us to try and beat it…we as young kids failed. The next run in with The Adventures Of Bayou Billy came when my cousins Dino and Norman had the game, and once more we played it and failed and I even borrowed it from them to try and beat it and could not even get to the final battle with Godfather Gordon. When I was older, I ended up buying a copy of the game from a second had store around here called Replay Media, and this time around my good pal Jason Gilmore and I tried to beat it and just like before, we failed…so as you can see, failure and Bayou Billy go hand and hand for me as a gamer. And just last year I bought a copy of the game complete in box from Amazon just for this update, cause now at 37 years old I am looking forward to trying to beat this game for the first time…but to be honest I would be surprised if by the end of the day I get to the end screen…I know I have no faith in my abilities of being an old school player. Check out below for a look at the copy of the game I will be playing as well as its box and booklet.

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The Adventures Of Bayou Billy TV commercial was one I remember as it had an actor playing Billy in the heart of the swamp wrestling with an alligator all the while he was telling us about the game play of it being three styles in one from side scroller, to driving to shooter, all the while doing a terrible and over the top bad Cajun accent. The alligator in most shots was a rubber one with one close up of a real one. This overly done and cheesy commercial worked on the youth at the time as it made this game a must have for kids as Konami built it up to be so grand that we just had to have it to impress our friends and to be cool on the playground.  Not to mention that we had to try to beat the amazing adventure that awaited us. Video game commercials like this were a great way for companies to get the attention of the youth who would see it and talk about it at school and with friends building a buzz around the game that caused many kids to bug their parents enough to get it. Nowadays I feel like YouTube and sites like IGN are the tools that spread the hype and game trailers to the target audiences. If you feel like having a good flashback or even want to see the commercial for the first time, check it out on YouTube and be ready for a laughable good 31 seconds with the one and only Bayou Billy.

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Besides the TV commercial, Konami pushed Bayou Billy by running sales on the hit game in toy store ads like Children’s Palace, Toys R Us and Kaybee Toys making it easier for kids to get the game by showing their parents the marked down sale price. They also made a handheld version to give young gamers another way to play the game besides on the NES and to get more money from what they saw as a franchise I am sure. Thinking about it now, I wonder why Konami never made a sequel to Bayou Billy as it would have been neat to have seen the character make the leap to the Super Nintendo or even the Sony Playstation. But any chance of Bayou Billy making a return with a new game on any video game systems is slim to none as Konami is a shell of a company they use to be and many of their workers have left them as they are focusing on gambling machines mostly…so sad.

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Bayou Billy also made the leap to the cartoon world as he appeared in two episodes of the 1989 cartoon series “Captain N: The Game Master” and was resident of Bayouland in the Videoland universe. In the cartoon, Billy had a pet gator named Loafer and helped main character Kevin Keene learn to survive in the swamp land as his game was one that Kevin could never beat, sounds like the story of many gamers’ lives. The episodes that Billy appeared in were called “How’s Bayou” and “Having A Ball,” and this once more showed that both Konami and Nintendo really wanted to push this game and title character to the moon by even adding him to their popular video game themed cartoon. The Billy character in the cartoon acted like the movie character Crocodile Dundee and this was a plan again, to help push the character as Mick Dundee was very popular in pop culture at the time. If you want to see these episodes, make sure to check out the Captain N: The Game Master complete series DVD boxset put out by Shout Factory, but be warned, it is out of print and carries a high price.

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Before we get to the NES Challenge and the Archie Comics Bayou Billy comic reviews, I would like to take a moment to take a look at the band Zebra and their first album that was self-titled as they were formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1975 and fit perfectly for this bayou themed update! The band members are Randy Jackson, who is the vocalist and guitarist, Guy Gelso on drums and Felix Hanemann on keyboards and bass, and this line up is still going to this day! They built their name playing clubs around Long Island, New York and covered songs by bands like Rush, Led Zeppelin and The Moody Blues, and this got the attention of Atlantic Records who signed them and released their self-titled album in 1983 making it a huge hit for the company and band. Over the years they released a few more albums via Atlantic like No Tellin’ Lies (1984), 3.V (1986) and Live (1990), but none of them did as well as their first release.  They were dropped in the early 90’s from Atlantic and took a break as a band while Randy Jackson made a side band he called Randy Jackson’s China Rain, but fans would be happy when Zebra would return in 1997 and in 2003 would release their final studio album to date Zebra IV. While not a band that is a household name, Zebra is still active and rocking clubs in New York and New Orleans showing that this band knows how to rock.

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I decided to cruise around Kettering, Ohio in my 2004 Ford Mustang and listen to Zebra’s 1983 release, and on this day the weather was chilly with slight rain and the sound of Zebra was fitting for the smooth and peaceful ride. The first thing I noticed about this album is that it has a weird mix of styles.  The best way I can describe it is if you mixed bands like Keel, Asia, Alan Parsons Project and slightly Cinderella into a blender and poured it all into a glass that had the logo of the band Fastway on it! With that said, this is my type of rock n roll as I enjoy the sounds of 80’s rock, and singer Randy Jackson has the pipes much like Ron Keel of Keel and Dave King of Fastway. Many of the tracks on the disc are solid and great tunes with the two most famous tracks off the disc being the best and those are Who’s Behind The Door? and Tell Me What You Want with the latter being my favorite as it is catchy and has great guitar rifts. Another great track is Take Your Fingers From My Hair, a ballad that is soothing and well structured, so much so that band Dream Theater even did a cover of it back in 2009. I don’t want to spend too much time on this CD, but if you enjoy good clean 80’s metal, make sure to check this disc out as it’s a good one.

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I selected the day January 24, 2017 for my showdown with Adventures Of Bayou Billy, and for this epic day of another NES Challenge, I decided I needed food and drinks that fit the New Orleans bayou theme of the game. Juliet, whose family is from Louisiana, bought me some snacks that are favorites for the bayou like Zapp’s Potato Chips, and to drink I stuck to my classic ice water. She made some chicken and sausage jambalaya as sadly I am allergic to shrimp, and it slowly cooked in the crockpot. The weather outside was grey and cloudy with slight rain with the high of only 45 degrees so it was perfect to sit inside and try and beat this classic Nintendo game! Below is a picture of the jambalaya and Zapp’s that we ate during this epic NES Challenge.

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I started my quest to beat this game at 12:00pm in the mindset that I had to beat this game as it has tormented me for years, but I must also say that doubt also was lingering as the visions of just how hard the game is kept creeping in as did the failure of my last NES Challenge of trying to beat Werewolf The Last Warrior. But I shook those thoughts off and fired up the RES, took the controller in my hands and began my quest to save Annabelle Lane from that evil crime lord Godfather Gordon! To my surprise, after only a few tries I was able to defeat the first level only dying a few times kicking at the alligators and moved onto the second level that was an easy shooter where I had to take on a helicopter while using my d-pad for the gun. The third level was the start of me having a real hard time with the stage boss who is big, mean, and ready to fling Billy around like a rag doll. After losing on stage 3 and wasting all my continues, I took a break and watched Hatchet III for the second time to keep with the New Orleans bayou feel of the day. I jumped back into my quest to save Annabelle after the movie, and I failed really hard as I was not in the groove and kept dying on stage one! I walked away for a moment, and Juliet gave it a shot and sadly she didn’t last long as she allowed Billy to be beat worst than S.D. Jones against King Kong Bundy in a WWF Wrestling match! I cleared my head of the butt whooping I had just taken, and after taking a deep breath, I turned on the RES for the last time of the day and got into the zone of trying like hell to help Bayou Billy get his girlfriend back! I started out strong once again kicking the crap out of the bad guys who are just hit sponges who take way too many hits, and after losing my cool after cheap enemy hits I came to the conclusion that this game is just way too hard for no reason and instead of busting a blood vessel to try and beat it I would rather just turn off the RES and sit back and relax and read some comics because this game was not worth the anger it induces.  All joking aside, this game was just too hard for this aging gamer to beat in one day. But with that said, I must say that the Zapp’s Spicy Cajun Crawtators potato chips and the homemade jambalaya were fantastic and made this day of defeat a heck of a lot better!

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To no surprise I was unable to beat The Adventures of Bayou Billy as I find it to be one of the hardest games in the whole Nintendo library! But I need to give a shout out to all the henchmen and crazed animals who all tried their best to keep me away from their boss. I need to show some respect to Godfather Gordon, that man who made this adventure so hard to beat not only because of his toughness but also his ability to hire the right muscle to keep me and Billy at bay! I also need to speak about Gordon’s bodyguards Rocky and Rocco who show their power by stopping you into the ground like you were just a tiny ant under their boot. In other words, all these bad guys do their jobs of making this game almost impossible to beat very well! So here is to all of them for making this old school gamer once more walk away from his RES a defeated man.

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So while beating the game was a complete bust, I still was able to enjoy some good bayou style food and a fun filled silly day of playing a classic NES game on my RES while hanging out with my girlfriend Juliet! I also want to thank Konami for making this classic game because while it has tormented me for years, it still has added entertainment to my life. But now it’s time to tackle the Archie Comics series based on this video game that thanks to the team up of Lone Star Comics, Darkstar and Bell, Book and Comic I was able to collect, read and review for this NES Challenge Update. And as Bayou Billy dusts himself off after the butt kicking we both just took, he wants me to remind you that I grade these on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So grab your giant Crocodile Dundee knife and let’s head back into the swamps and this time enjoy some comic books based on this video game adventurer Bayou Billy.

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Adventures Of Bayou Billy # 1  **1/2
Released in 1989   Cover Price $1.00     Archie Comics   # 1 of 5

Bayou Billy is on his way to testify in court when he stops some street punks from robbing an old couple on vacation from New Jersey. Once in court the words Billy says and the fact he can point out the perpetrator who started some wicked fires named Hurricane Hank, leads to the pyro to be found guilty, and along with Assistant District Attorney Annabel Lee he is able to get one of Godfather Gordon’s henchmen off the streets. That night Annabel gets an anonymous call to meet some people who have the dirt on the Gordon Crime family only to find herself the target of a hit that leaves her shot and wounded, but luckily she knows karate and is able to steal the hitmen’s boat and finds herself weak at the doorstep of Bayou Billy’s home deep in the swamp. Godfather Gordon is mad at his son Rock Gordon for botching the hit as now they know Billy is now at her side. Rocco Gordon, Godfather’s stepson, comes up with an idea to send their mercenary team F.I.S.T to kill not only Annabel and Bayou Billy but also his Delta Force friends who were heading to the home to join their friend in the approaching war. Bayou Billy is joined by trap master Broadside, Tracker a Native America tracker and fighter and lastly the eye-patch wearing Sureshot who is a master of the bow and arrow and together they protect Annabel and defeat the likes of Mr. T.N.T and Cut Throat. In the end the battle leaves Bayou Billy’s swamp home destroyed but he and his team have mopped up some of Gordon’s top henchmen and saved the town’s Assistant District Attorney who is now out to get Godfather Gordon in a jail cell.

This first issue sets the groundwork that Bayou Billy is a bounty hunter who once was a Delta Force solider who still has war buddies and is a legend around New Orleans as criminals think that he can not be killed and will not die…hey wait, just like The Phantom! The story for this issue is that Annabel Lee has become a target of the Gordon Crime Family as she has been very outspoken about their crimes.  This leaves her the target of a hit that she is lucky to escape from, getting help from the town’s hero Bayou Billy who along with his own team are ready to tackle crime and bring it down. Bayou Billy is a little cocky yet very loyal and committed to doing the right thing.  You can tell he has a crush on Annabel Lee, who doesn’t have the same feelings for him. He has no fear and tackles trouble head on laughing off threats from baddies. His Delta Force buddies Sure Shot, Tracker and Broadside are loyal friends and clearly guys Billy can depend on for the coming turf war. Godfather Gordon and his two sons Rock and Rocco are pure evil crime lords who have their hand in all types of crimes and don’t care who they kill in order to get what they need and want. Their elite team called F.I.S.T is made up of all types of criminals from the hitmen Cut Throat and Creole all the way to helicopter pilot and gunner Wild Bill.  But while they are all skilled at what they do, they are just out classed by Billy and his group. Annabel Lee is a woman who wants to use the justice system to put criminals away and does a great job at doing so; she is also pretty and can defend her self as she as a green belt in martial arts. Over all this is a fun kid friendly adventure comic that takes some liberties with the video game it’s based on.  One of the major changes is that Rock and Rocco are the sons of Godfather Gordon and not his bodyguards. But while changes like that might upset The Adventures of Bayou Billy diehard fans, I can look over it, as I found they mixed action, drama, crime and war comic well to make for a kids comic that packs a gator sized bite. The cover is great and is a more cartoonish version of the NES cover box.  The interior art done by Amanda Connor is fantastic and she helps bring Bayou Billy to life on the comic pages. I should also note that The Adventures of Bayou Billy is apart of the Archie Adventure Series line and joined its place in history along side other titles like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, The Fly, Sonic The Hedgehog and ManTech Robot Warriors for delivering quality comics aimed toward early teen readers. But with issue # 1 being a great read, I am looking forward to seeing what issue # 2 has in store for us.

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Adventures Of Bayou Billy # 2  **1/2
Released in 1989   Cover Price $1.00     Archie Comics   # 2 of 5

That firebug Hurricane Hank is having nightmares in prison about his last run-in with Bayou Billy that not only landed him in jail but also minus a hand! He wants so badly to get out of jail and get his revenge once and for all and must come up with a plan. Meanwhile Bayou Billy pays Godfather Gordon a visit, and after roughing him up, is able to get money to build a new house as his F.I.S.T agents blew up his last one so Billy finds it fair that the crime boss pays to build him a new one. Worse for our heroes is that the whole F.I.S.T group is freed, and Hurricane Hank does escape jail and sets into motion a scheme to kill Bayou Billy! Tracker however followed Hurricane Hank and alerts Billy as the Gordons alert Annabel Lee to where he is hiding as they find their one time henchman too much of a loose cannon now. Bayou Billy knows it’s a trap and shares a story with Annabel from his Delta Force years about how he was set up by a Gordon back then that left him dead for a short time and was only brought back thanks to the effort of his friends.  He shares the story of the second time he was dead and saved when a hitman sent by Godfather Gordon named Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill used a nerve gas that took his breath away.  If not for an old man living in the bayou named Papa Jambo, he would have once more been in a grave. Bayou Billy takes Annabel Lee to his friend Grease Monkey and her garage as he goes after Hurricane Hank.  A battle breaks out that leaves a warehouse burnt down, Bayou Billy bruised and sore and Hurricane Hank once more on the losing end of life.

This second bayou adventure is a fun kid friendly read that loses the charm of issue # 1 slightly as this one just was kind of middle of the road and comes off as almost a watered down version of a Dick Tracy story. The plot is: a criminal who Bayou Billy put away and cost him to lose one of his hands escapes jail more crazy than ever. and his madness to get revenge is what leads to his downfall. Hurricane Hank is a man who had slipped into madness as he is plagued with nightmares of losing his hand and every moment of his life is used plotting the death of Bayou Billy and setting the world on fire. While once a respected henchman for Godfather Gordon, his mental state has even made the crime family turn on him. Plus his ego gets the better of him as when he had Bayou Billy down for the count and could have fried him like chicken on a boat, he instead chooses to try and kill our hero with his bare hands that just leads to him being out smarted and out classed and at the bottom of the water. Godfather Gordon as well as his sons and F.I.S.T stay out of this fight and pretty much lay low after the last beating they took, but Godfather does at least call in a tip so that Hurricane Hank can be found with the hope he and Billy will just kill each other! Tracker, Broadside and Sure Shot act as distractions so Billy can get Hurricane Hank and each play their part well.  We also meet Grease Monkey, the cute redhead female mechanic and friend of the Delta Force group who works on their trucks and boats. Annabel Lee is now clearly in love with Bayou Billy and is still trying her best to put the Gordon crime family behind bars, but is faced with lots of setbacks and bribes to judges. I also enjoyed Papa Jambo who not only saved Bayou Billy from death but also taught him all his tricks of the trade in the swamps. The fights in the issue between Hurricane Hank and Bayou Billy are great and reminded me a lot of classic comic book fights you would have seen in Mighty Crusaders and other independent hero comics. The cover is just okay with the black lines being used as shadows on Bayou Billy being a little cheesy.  The interior art is also a little off and is done by a team up of Amanda Connor and Mike Esposito who both normally do great work. While this issue is just okay, I did have a good time reading it and enjoyed the idea that Konami and Archie Comics put time and thought into trying to make this comic series based on a video game work. Well let’s see what issue three has in store for us. Oh and I have to say, I want to know more about Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill ,the man who killed Bayou Billy for the second time and wore a trench coat, a hat and a gasmask!

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Adventures Of Bayou Billy # 3  **1/2
Released in 1990   Cover Price $1.00     Archie Comics   # 3 of 5

The New Orleans Police Department is having a heck of a time trying to break down a man named Blackie Blue who is in fact really a creature that is part human and part ferret thanks to a scientist to did an experiment on him while on death row in prison! After Blackie makes short work of the cops, he rushes away and the job of finding him goes to Tracker, Sure Shot and Broadside as Bayou Billy goes out on his own to try and find Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill, the man who killed him many years back. But when Billy joins his friends, he soon finds out that Blackie Blue is as strong as an ox and escapes our heroes with ease. Later Bayou Billy and Annabel Lee meet up and return to Billy’s new home paid for by Godfather Gordon’s money, and they are as well visited by Tracker, Broadside and Sure Shot and plan to talk over a cup of coffee when Blackie Blue attacks and pulls Billy underwater almost killing him if not for the help of the alligators of the swamp who attack and keep Blackie at bay! As Billy fills his lungs with air and warms up, Annabel Lee comes up with a plan to capture both Blackie Blue and Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill by pitting them against each other! Bayou Billy likes the idea and sets up the trap that works as a charm as Gaskill is knocked silly by a mighty punch and Blackie is knocked out via gas grenades and all Billy has to do is cuff them and bring them to face justice. In the end as Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill is in court he escapes thanks to a smoke grenade and a terrible lawyer who allowed him to get his hands on one.

This issue’s plot has Bayou Billy on a mission of revenge as he wants to bring down Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill, a hitman who was hired to kill many years back, but to add to the madness an inmate that had been experimented on has escaped and is now more beast like and he has his sights on killing Billy! The two fights between Bayou Billy and Blackie Blue are one sided as the beast man is way stronger and has raw animal instincts to kill his targeted prey making you really feel as if our hero could be taken down! Blackie’s fight with Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill is also pretty much one sided as the beast pushes through the madman’s gas attacks in order to knock him silly and only after he complete his goal does he fall. In this issue Bayou Billy is as noble as ever but does have the nagging want for revenge that keeps him off the case of the major threat at the time as he wanted to stop his old foe who had been laying low for years. Plus I like the fact that Bayou Billy is very loyal to his friends as well as his girlfriend and that they all hang out not only in town but also in the swamp…that’s what I call friendship goals! Blackie Blue is an interesting bad guy as when human he had an accident that dyed his skin and hair blue and it’s hinted that Batman was responsible and that his partner in crime was The Joker! Blackie was on death row and because he didn’t want to die, he was chosen to be a subject in a experiment that turned him into a wereferret that has raw power and the need to kill his prey! As the beast Blackie’s appearance is this blue fur all over, sharp teeth and claws and wearing a prison jumpsuit.  For Wolf Hunter 2 fans, think Panthor. Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill on the other hand has a hideout in a shack near an old farmhouse and is still toying with making new gas grenades and is taken by surprise when he is attacked by Blackie, but is smart enough to escape in court. This issue was lots of fun and had just the right amount of action, adventure and even a dash of horror to keep this 37-year-old comic reader entertained. The cover is pretty cool and showcases the horror element with a dash of late 80’s Marvel Spider-Man cover appeal, and the art inside is solid again and done by the team of Amanda Connor and Mike Esposito again showing that they work very well with each other. We are three issues in and over all Archie Comics as part of there Adventure Series is doing a great job of making this Konami video game character a very fun comic one, well worth reading, and I can’t wait to see what the next issue brings.

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Adventures Of Bayou Billy # 4  **1/2
Released in 1990   Cover Price $1.00     Archie Comics   # 4 of 5

Bayou Billy is having a nightmare about the death of his first wife Laurie who was blown up with a car bomb that was meant for him.  The hit was placed on him by one of the Gordon family and after quitting his job as a New Orleans police officer, he became the bounty hunter he is today…that was two years ago to the day and he still wants answers to who wanted him dead. Once more he gears up and sets out to look for Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill whom he thinks might have the answers and heads to a rough bar called the Rue Morgue.  A lead brings him to loan shark enforcer Two-Head McGraw and after a brief fight, they send him to a slimy man named Snitch who spills his guts that Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill is hiding in an old chemical plant. Bayou Billy shows up and tries to get the jump on his old enemy only to find himself on the receiving end of a gas bomb that leaves him disorientated! Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill goes to Grease Monkey’s garage and knocks out the young mechanic and steals one of Billy’s monster trucks.  Once Billy awakens to try and find Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill, he is attacked with his own truck! But with the aid of a can of red paint and good luck, Billy is able to trick Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill and use his own jeep as a bomb that leaves the killer gas man at the mercy of Bayou Billy who gets the name of the man who placed the bomb that killed his wife.  It’s Hurricane Hank, the man who drowned two issues back, but with this shattering news he also has delivered Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill to the cops and justice….but through out his adventure a shadow figure has been following him!

This issue works really well as we get a good background on to why Bayou Billy does what he does and why he hates the Gordon crime family so much.  Plus his reasons are legit as they tried to not only kill him but killed his wife! Bayou Billy has spent the last two years of his life hunting down criminals in the big easy all to find out who of the Gordon’s paid for the bomb to be placed that killed his wife, and sadly at the end of the issue he does not get the answer he seeks. Also packed into this issue are many of the criminals who work for the Gordon Crime Family like Snitch a skinny eye glass wearing weasel of a man who will spill his guts for the right price, Two-Head McGraw who are joined twins who act as muscle for Rock Gordon when people cant pay pack the loans he has given them, and lastly Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill who we all know is the gas mask wearing killer who tried to murder Bayou Billy a few years back. All the bad guys are pains in the butt this issue but all fall to the hands of Bayou Billy who is a man on a mission to get answers. Grease Monkey, the female mechanic and friend of Bayou Billy, also comes into play as she is attacked by Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill who knocks her out and steals one of the monster trucks she has in storage.  Lucky for her, she was not killed. This issue is packed with drama but also an equal amount of action making for one heck of a good kid friendly comic read! The cover on this issue is a little downbeat with Billy at the grave of his wife, and I am sure scared some parents away from buying the issue for their child. The interior art was done once more by the team of Amanda Connor and Mike Esposito and is great as always.  In fact, the month this issue was released, Amanda Connor was Archie’s Artist of the Month, way to go Amanda! Over all this was a great issue and worth reading for sure, now sadly we are at the last issue in the comic series based on The Adventures Of Bayou Billy.

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Adventures Of Bayou Billy # 5  **1/2
Released in 1990   Cover Price $1.00     Archie Comics   # 5 of 5

Bayou Billy robs criminal La Rue and his henchmen Mitts and Slugger of a briefcase filled with dirty money, and now he is wanted for questioning by the local law.  This shocks his friends Tracker, Sureshot and Broadside as they don’t know why Billy did it! Also at this time, fellow bounty hunter Black Gator is very upset that the media only pays attention to Bayou Billy and wants to shutdown his competition permanently! We soon find out that Godfather Gordon has hired Schwartz N. Eiger, a criminal ex-soap opera actor to play as Bayou Billy and pull off the crime so that his enemy will take the rap for the crime and be out of their hair for awhile.  Meanwhile Billy himself is having bad dreams about a black gator and is under arrest for a crime he did not commit when he wakes up, but lucky for Billy he has some tricks up his sleeve and escapes the cops only to run into Black Gator who wants to kill Bayou Billy to prove he is the best bounty hunter.  All the while Godfather Gordon is watching as it all comes to a head when Bayou Billy, Black Gator, The Cops, La Rue and Schwartz N. Eiger all meet up at an abandoned theater where Billy clears his name and comes out the winner in the fight with Black Gator.

This final issue was clearly not intended to be so as many questions are still left unanswered like how will Bayou Billy get his revenge of the Godfather Gordon family for putting a hit on him that backfired and killed his wife as well as many bad guys are still out in the world including Black Gator who clearly wants to kill Billy and ruin his reputation at being the best bounty hunter in the bayou. But with that said, I must also say this issue has a fun vibe to it as it pits our hero Bayou Billy against a Black Gator, a man who wears a ninja outfit and is as skilled as he is in fighting! Plus throw in washed up actor Schwartz N. Eiger as well as smaller crime lord La Rue and his baseball dressed bodyguards Mitts and Slugger and you have a recipe for a fun kid friendly crime caper. This issue as well is really cool as many of the faces of the past issues are around like his mentor Papa Jambo as well as Godfather Gordon and his sons making this a cool send off for the comic series. Bayou Billy is a solid character who is badass when he needs to be as well as a quick thinker when the time calls for mind over muscle.  I also like that while he kicks the crap out of people he is also shown getting his head knocked around to making him a more believable character than many comic heroes based on video games. Tracker, Sureshot, Grease Monkey and Broadside are all great sidekick characters who help add to the story as well as each have their own generic yet so good personalities. Annabel Lee is a cool character as she is not only a lawyer but also Billy’s girlfriend and not a female character that is always needing to be saved by the hero! Godfather Gordon and his sons Rock and Rocco are slimy, and you want to see them get theirs.  They also employee so many colorful and odd mercenaries & scumbags like Schwartz N. Eiger, Swamp Gas Charlie Gaskill, Hurricane Hank and Wild Bill to name a few! Not to mention this series had some other cool bad guy characters like Black Gator and the werewolf-like Blackie Blue both who were foes that Billy had a hard time with. I think the best fight in the whole series took place in this issue as the Billy and Black Gator’s fight was epic and was what comic book fists fights are all about. The cover for this issue is good and reminds me of something you would have seen on a Marvel Comics G.I. Joe cover. The art inside is solid once more and is done by Amanda Connor and her partner in crime for this final issue Robert Downs, and it’s great kids comic work. Over all Adventures of Bayou Billy was a very good kid comic series that showcased a Nintendo game character in a great way and gave him even more of a personality, and I am sure it drove some comic readers into buying the game, just like the game forced people to look into buying the comic. I for one wished the series had more issues as I enjoyed reading this for the first time for many of the issues and again for others. Check out the art below for a sample of what you will see if you read this comic series.

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While I might have failed at beating The Adventures of Bayou Billy on my RES, I did get a victory in getting to read the Archie Comic adventures based on the character! I am also very shocked that this game never did get a sequel as like I said, many kids I knew owned it and for the most part it’s a pretty beloved game for many old school gamers. But for our next update, we are going to be leaving the bayou and heading into the world of animals running wild with the taste for human flesh as we take a look at the Action Lab: Danger Zone series The Final Plague! So until next time friends and readers, play a video game or two, read a comic or three and as always support your local Horror Host.  See you in about 10 days!

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Motorcycle Riding Rodents From The Red Planet

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! If you grew up in the early 1990’s then I am sure you knew just how tight of a grip Teenage Mutant Ninja had on the youth, but then you also know how many knock offs flooded the toy and cartoon market the years that followed.  Who could forget Street Sharks, The Toxic Crusaders, Cowboys Of Moo Mesa, Creepy Crawlers, Extreme Dinosaurs, SWAT Kats and of course The Biker Mice From Mars! While all these had their own charm, they still were very much inspired by the Turtles’ popularity, and the one we will be focusing on today is Biker Mice From Mars. Growing up through the 80’s and 90’s I was around for the huge boom of popularity of the Turtles, and Biker Mice From Mars was the butt of many jokes between me and my friends who just laughed about the silly name and the idea of alien mice on bikes saving the day. I can remember that you were made fun of if you said you watched the cartoon, and no one I knew admitted that they had any of the toys as they were afraid of being mocked. While I never owned any of the toys, I did watch the cartoon and thought how wonderfully cheesy it was.  At the time I was the proud owner of pet mice so of course I was going to check out a cartoon about ones that rode motorcycles! So you could say I was living a double life as at home I watched the cartoon but at school I made fun of it as if it was garbage left in the bottom of a Burger King trash can. So I admit it now; at a young age I watched Biker Mice From Mars.  Now at age 35, I am going to do an update about them here at Rotten Ink so let’s jump on our bikes and have some adventure, shall we?

The Biker Mice From Mars

In 1993, Biker Mice From Mars was released by Saban Entertainment to the syndicated cartoon market and had many companies behind its creation that include Galoob Toys, Marvel Productions and Worldwide Sports & Entertainment. The series followed three anthropomorphic mice that came to Earth from Mars after their planet was stricken by a harsh war and their race was wiped out.  They are Throttle, Modo and Vinnie, and they love to ride motorcycles.  They crash land in Chicago where they meet garage owner and mechanic Charlene “Charley” Davidson. Each of the mice have serve injuries that they got on their home planet and each have a different personality and color of fur. Throttle has tan fur and is the leader.  He is noble and driven to save Earth as well as his fellow mice men.  His injury is his eyesight that was damaged in an accident. Vinnie has white fur and is a smooth talker.  He has a crush on Charlene and had one side of his face burned off in the accident and must wear a metal mask to hide and protect it. Modo has grey fur and is the team’s powerhouse and lost one of his arms that is replaced with a metal one. Their friend and ally is Charley Davidson, the owner and mechanic for a small garage in Chicago called Last Chance Garage.  She is tough as nails and pretty to boot. But things are not all well as they find that the owner of one of Chi-Towns biggest industries is a Plutarkian named Lawrence Limburger, the same fish-headed smelly race that ruined their planet and worse, he has allies with him like dumb as a box of rocks henchman Grease Pit, evil scientist Dr. Benjamin Boris Zachary Karbunkle and weirdo Fred The Mutant to name a few. Now on Earth, the Biker Mice must try and stop Limburger from trashing their new home. The series lasted for 3 seasons and a total of 65 episodes. In 2006, The Biker Mice From Mars made a small comeback and had new episodes made for one season with a total of 28 episodes. So one thing’s for sure, while they might have been the butt of jokes at school, they still had an impact on the world of cartoons.

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In 1993 to go along with the cartoon Galoob started to make action figures to push Biker Mice From Mars toward becoming a name in children’s entertainment.  The figures stood a little taller then Ninja Turtles and came with all types of weapons as well as vehicles and playsets that could be bought separately. All the main characters were made into the toy line that lasted till 1994, but before the toys were canceled, many different variations of the biker mice themselves were made and released. Besides the action figures there were also bendable figures, 12” figures as well as Micro Machine versions of the bikes. Growing up, I didn’t know any kids that had any of these figures, nor did I, but to be honest by 1993 I was older and not really buying a lot of toys as girls were more on my mind than buying an action figure. Over the years, I have seen lots of Biker Mice figures at local thrift stores and flea markets showing that somebody bought them back in the day.

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Like all good cartoons of the time, it was turned into a video game for the Super Nintendo, and for the re-launch a game was made for PS2 and Nintendo DS. But let’s focus on the SNES version as it’s the classic of the bunch and was released during the height of Biker Mice Mania. In 1994, Konami released a racing game based on Biker Mice From Marsfor the Super Nintendo that would allow the player to choose a character and race around different tracks. The game was over all praised for its game play and is somewhat of a cult classic in the world of SNES games. I can remember seeing the game for rent at K&L Video years later and never renting it.  Maybe I’ll see if Game Swap in Kettering has it in stock.

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So we took a look at the cartoon, toys and video game attached to Biker Mice, and we even talked a little about the uncool factor it had from my former classmates so now I think it’s time we take a look at the Marvel Comic mini series based on it. I want to thank Half Price Books and Lone Star Comics for having these issues in stock and allowing me to read them for the first time here on Rotten Ink. So before we hop on a chopper and go for a ride, I want to remind you that I grade these issues on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So let’s hit the road and see what adventure we can have with The Biker Mice From Mars and Marvel Comics.

Biker Mice From Mars 1

Biker Mice From Mars # 1  **1/2
Released in 1993      Cover Price $1.50     Marvel Comics    #1 of 3

In space aboard a ship the biker mice Throttle, Modo and Vinnie are relaxing and even a little bored when they are attacked and shot down by evil, smelly, fish faced Plutarkians and crash land in Chicago during a baseball game. The Biker Mice mount their bikes and avoid security.  While leaving the ball field, Vinnie even stops a robbery of a hot dog dealer, and they ride off and notice how the place they are at now looks as run down as their home on Mars. Meanwhile in a big skyscraper Lawrence Limburger, the town’s bigwig business man, is talking to his henchman Grease Pit about his plans to drain Chicago of all its natural resources in a week.  He needs a location to complete his task, the Last Chance Garage, and sends Grease Pit there to rough up its female owner Charley Davidson. As she tries to fight off Grease Pit, the Biker Mice arrive and save the day by making a fool out of Limburger’s henchman and send a message that they are here to uphold justice.

This comic series clearly would have been a Star Comic if Marvel would have let the company stay open long enough. This mini series is clearly just based on the first couple of episodes in the Biker Mice cartoon series, and this first issue shows how they crash land on Earth and how they become friends with Charley and get on the radar of Limburger. The Biker Mice come off as noble rodents who love to ride and relax and most of all love to stand up for good and justice. Vinnie is the one who comes off more reckless and focused on fighting than the other two.  It’s clear he in is the Raphael as he follows his own set of rules and is the first to jump in a fight. Throttle and Modo don’t get to shine as brightly in this issue and very little of their personalities shine through.  All we really get is the basics. Charley Davidson comes off as an independent woman who is not afraid to stand up to those trying to bully her and take what she has worked hard for. Grease Pit is a muscle bound goon who is dimwitted and covered with motor oil and uses his muscles to try and push around those he views as weaker. Limburger is scum and is a big business man all the way as he doesn’t care about people or environment when a quick buck can be made.  Plus it shows he has no guts as he sends others to do his dirty work. So far despite giving some of the lamest lines in kids comics history, the Biker Mice are likable characters and ones that I think translate very well to comic books. The art in this issue is done by Rurik Tyler, and he does a great job of making it look like the cartoon.  The cover is also fantastic and very eye catching. So let’s move on to issue # 2 and see how this mini series plays out, shall we?

Biker Mice From Mars 2

Biker Mice From Mars # 2  **1/2
Released in 1994     Cover Price $1.50    Marvel Comics    #2 of 3

Charley Davidson is confused and amazed by her new friends and rescuers The Biker Mice who explain that they are from Mars and that they are the last of their kind because a race called the Plutarkians raided and stole all their natural resources and wiped them out.  Charley tells them she thinks the same thing is happening there in Chicago.  Limburger is mad at Grease Pit for not getting the garage and is even more upset when he hears that he was stopped by the Biker Mice who he knows all too well as they were his prisoners sometime back.  So he gets the crazy mad scientist Dr. Karbunkle to build an ultimate mouse trap, and they set out to capture the Mice. Charley works on the mice’s bikes and even adds new weapons.  This leaves her open to be kidnapped by Grease Pit and placed on the twisted mouse trap as bait, but once more Grease Pit is outsmarted and The Biker Mice send him back to Limburger, save Charley, and destroy the mouse trap. In the end The Biker Mice are on the way to Limburger’s to take the fight to him as Karbunkle is bringing in an enforcer from another planet!

This second issue is used as a quick back story of Mars and all the bad stuff that happened that forced the Mice to live a life on the run.  It also shows that Limburger is already at his boiling point, and he wants those pesky rodents dead. I also like how it shows that Limburger has many oddballs working for him and each is as crazy as the next. Once more The Biker Mice come off as major good guys, and finally Throttle comes off as a leader and is clearly smart in his “war” tactics. Vinnie comes off a little more goofy in this one, always talking about how good looking he is and how his body looks.  He’s a little silly and makes you wish he would have stayed more like the brooding kick butt type. Limburger is as sleazy as ever and bullies his own men and wants to make short work of this planet so he can move on and pillage the next city. Grease Pit is as dumb as ever, and Karbunkle is super crazy and seem to be getting his kicks in torturing some strange little man who’s getting off on the abuse…it’s kind of creepy. At one point they ask Charley if she wanted to be rescued by Turtles, showing that they were aware that many kids compared the two. This second issue is pretty entertaining, and I found it to be on par with issue # 1 making this a good read for fans of the cartoon and characters. The artwork is done by two artists this time with Rurik Tyler returning and Gary Fields helping out.  Tyler’s work is better, and you can tell when Fields is working the pencil. The cover on this one is kick butt and eye catching, and I am it was appealing to kids who spotted it on the newsstand. Well let’s get to the third and final issue in this Marvel series based on a cartoon.

Biker Mice From Mars 3

Biker Mice From Mars # 3  **1/2
Released in 1994     Cover Price $1.50    Marvel Comics    #3 of 3

The Biker Mice are on the way to Limburger’s building and are greeted by armed guards and must fight their way to the top where they come face to face with Grease Pit and Limburger who cower to the Biker Mice. But when Limburger calls on Dr. Karbunkle who is the man responsible for the injuries to the Mice, they are filled with rage and are ready for a fight.  Instead they’re greeted by a killer robot called X-Terminator who knocks them out the window.  A chase on Motorcycles ensues that leaves Throttle knocking The X-Terminator into boiling metal and the Biker Mice win a big victory. In the end they meet up at the baseball field and decide that their base will be inside the scoreboard and out of the radar reach of Limburger and his goons.

This third and final issue is good but it’s clear that everyone who worked on it knew that this was the final issue.  Many pages are large art splashes with little to no dialogue.  That said, I still found it to be a very fun and silly good read. The story is that The Biker Mice get to the location of Limburger and come face to face with the evil doctor who has scarred them for life.  They tangle with a robot man who is programmed to kill them and in the end destroy their robotic stalker and find a new place to live at the baseball field. The part of the story I really liked is that Dr. Karbunkle is the one who did some horrible things to The Mice while they were prisoners and he gets joy when he sees his dirty work up close again – sick serial killer kind of stuff. This time around The Biker Mice are more fleshed out as we see Throttle really show leadership skills.  Vinnie is still ego driven but ready to kick some fish men butt, and Modo is a powerhouse who beats up anything that gets in his way. While Grease Pit takes a backseat in this final issue, Dr. Karbunkle moves to the front and shows he is a man with plans and cruel ideas. While X-Terminator has the weapons to kill the Biker Mice, he seems more into delivering one-liners taken straight from Terminator 2 then killing them off, not to mention he goes down like a chump at the hands of Throttle. Limburger, while loud-mouthed and very mean, sure is a coward when having to come face to face with the Mice. The comic was a nice treat for fans of the cartoon, and I can’t help but feel that if Star was open when this was released, the series would have lasted a little longer than three issues.  Much like Camp Candy, I feel Marvel just put little to no care into making this series work while the people working on the comics put time and care into making a quality kids comic for readers. The art for the final issue was Rurik Tyler and like the others, the cover is fantastic. To sum it up, if you enjoyed the cartoon when this was released, I am sure you had a great time collecting and reading these issues, but TMNT super fans might find the series to be a rip off of their favorite heroes in a half shell. Check out the artwork below to see how good it looks compared to the style of the cartoon.

Biker Mice Art 1

So The Biker Mice have just rode off on the forgotten highway into a sunset as our time with them has come to an end.  I will say that the comic series was pretty good and was a nice way to help promote them at comic stores and on newsstands. Our next update is a subject very special to me as well as I am sure many horror host fans from the Dayton, Ohio area and beyond/.  I will be taking a look at the one and only Dr. Creep in a new Horror Host Icon update! So until then, make sure to read a comic or three, watch a classic cartoon or two and as always support your local horror host.  See ya next update for a Shocking good time…

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Welcome back boils and ghouls as we continue my look at horror films that should be made into video games for PS3, Xbox 360 and even the WII.  Yeah, I know that the next gen systems are coming very soon, but these titles could carry over onto, say, a PS4. Working at a second hand video game store has given me the chance to buy and play many different systems, and one that I have found to be a fun 8-bit experience that has many horror themed games is the Commodore 64 (C64).  While mostly known for being a computer and really is nothing more then a keyboard that you buy floppy disk and datasette drives for, it’s a surprise in the gaming department. This system has games based on the films Friday The 13th, A Nightmare of Elm Street, Psycho, Nightbreed, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Evil Dead and even cartoon vampire duck Count Duckula! It also had games based on Dracula, ghosts, Frankenstein, Bigfoot and Werewolves, not to mention horror hostess Elvira Mistress of the Dark had two games based around her.  While the NES also had games based on Friday and Nightmare, the C64 versions are way different giving gamers a little more to play, and best of all the controls for this gaming computer are just like the Atari 2600 joystick.  In fact you can plug in and use a 2600 joystick.  The wonders of classic gaming is something I hold near and dear. If you would like to read up on some of my thoughts on these video games, you should read my reviews over at www.bloodlinevideo.com for both games and movies.

Friday The 13th (c64)Nightmare on Elm Street (C64)The Rocky Horror Picture Show (c64)frankenstein (c64)2.) commodore 64The Evil Dead (c64)Psycho (c64)Count Duckula (c64)Bigfoot (c64)

So without me blabbing on some more about my love of survival horror games, classic gaming and my website, let’s just get right into the list starting with number 10.

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# 10.) The Wolf Man

Larry Talbot is a man who comes from a well to do family.  When returning home, he falls in love with a shopkeeper’s daughter who is set to be married. Larry charms the young woman and gets her to go out with him to a local gypsy carnival of sorts.  While out on this date, he is attacked by a werewolf who passes the full moon curse onto him. Larry struggles with his new curse, and the fact he is responsible for the deaths of many locals.  This causes him to have a death wish and by the end of the original film, he meets his end by a silver cane wielded by the woman he loves. But you can’t keep a good monster down as Larry would return in many more films trying to find a way to be cured and also doing battles with Frankenstein’s Monster, crazy scientists, Count Dracula and even Bud Abbot and Lou Costello. Like the Phantom of the Opera, this is a perfect game for a company like TellTale Games to snatch up and turn into a solid, fun point and click spooky horror adventure. Imagine playing as Larry Talbot during the day trying to right the wrongs you have done the night before during the full moon as The Wolf Man! The ultimate goal is to find a cure or even find peace in death; all these decisions would be up to you the player and your actions would determine what course the game would take. Lon Chaney Jr. who played The Wolf Man’s son Ron Chaney should also do a voice in this game, adding to the over all feel. I for one would flip out for a game like this and would support a whole line based on Universal Monster Movies! And really this is one of my top five favorite movies of all time, and while the sequels don’t have as much impact as the first, they also are amazing watches during the cold month of October.

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While a company has made a free to play internet MMO of The Universal Monsters, the Wolf Man has had some what of a presence in the world of video games.  In 1988, a text based game was released for the Commodore 64 and while the name of the game is WolfMan, it’s not a Universal sponsored product and in no way ties into the Larry Talbot myth, but sure did try and cash in on it. The only other game I can think of is a Handheld game made by Tiger sometime in the mid to late 90’s. While the moon still gets full and the game systems around the world fire up, maybe one day we will all be able to howl with fear and play a true console game based on this iconic character.

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# 9.) Pumpkinhead

When you have felt that you have been wronged and what has happened is truly something you want unforgiven revenge for, there is an old witch that lives in a rundown cabin in the woods that can help, but her help comes with a price as Ed Harley found out when a group of city teens accidentally kill his son with a dirt bike. The revenge is a demon called Pumpkinhead who will murder all those who are on your hit list, and the price is your soul! Now imagine a game developer like Rock Steady getting to work on a game like this, and how epic and scary and deep the plot would be. I see this as a game that you play as two characters, one being the poor fool who summoned Pumkinhead and the other being one of the poor saps he’s after. In the end you must choose who is right in this situation and and this will effect the outcome of the game. All the while during this plot you are running for your life away from the revenge demon and watching as your friends are being brutally killed. Plus for the fun of it, you can add in the spirits of those who summoned this monster in the past to haunt and warn the player of the dangers, giving the game the freedom to tie it into the film series and a way to have Lance Hendricson (Ed Harley) in it.  To me once again this movie has all the right tools to become a video game series if done right.

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Pumpkinhead has had one shot at the video game market when the second film “Pumpkinhead 2: Blood Wings” was released in 1994, and it got the PC Game treatment with a game called “Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead’s Revenge” a year later. The game is a first person shooter that used clips from the film and was looked at as a rushed mess with no direction and no real scary moments by almost all gamers. But with this bomb of a game way in our past, I truly think Pumpkinhead should rise once more and show us all just how scary he can be!

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# 8.) Return of the Living Dead

Two medical supply workers accidentally open a military drum filled with a toxin that turns the dead into brain eating zombies.  A group of punk rock teens, a mortician, the two workers (who are now very ill) and the medical supply warehouse boss must fight to stay alive as the dead just keep on coming up from the nearby cemetery. Zombie video games are super popular, and while some would say they are flooding the market, they are still selling well and gamers seem to not get enough of the gut munchers. That’s why taking something like Return of the Living Dead and turning it into a gaming franchise is a no brainer. This could easily become a series of games that could give House of the Dead, Dead Island and even Resident Evil a run for their money by adding in the punk rock feel of the films and score music lifted straight from the movie. Imagine this as the plot of a Return of the Living Dead game that plays like a updated version of Resident Evil in which you play as a punk rocker teen who alongside friends have been caught in the acid rain.  You see, you are friends of the punk rockers from the first film and must fight to stay alive using what ever you can find to fight off the undead.  The game could be multiplayer so friends can join in the game of survival.  Add in cameos from characters from the first film and of course have the famous Tar Man Zombie be a boss fight, and you have the making of a great classic movie tie in game. This could then lead into games that tie in the second film and then onto the third and so on, even though parts 4 and 5 are terrible. Game companies that I would love to see tackle this game include Rock Star, Capcom, Konami and WB Games. Only time will tell if some game company decides to take the chance on this amazing IP. 

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# 7.) Creature From The Black Lagoon

The Creature is considered by many as Universal’s last great horror monster icon and has three solid films behind him making the video game world a perfect outlet to continue his legacy. A group of scientist go to the lagoons of the Amazon rain forest and come across a human like fish man dubbed “The Gill-Man” who has taken a liking to the female of the team.  When he kidnaps her, it’s up to the crew to get her back but not before our fiendish fish man kills as few humans off.  The creature in his film appearances has also been captured and put on display at an aquarium and last time we saw him, he had been turned more human like, wanted to set lots of fires and is believed to have drowned after his escape. This is where our game should begin and would show that the Creature has survived and in fact has hid out and healed to become his former scaly self.  The game would have a family lost on a fishing trip in the back waters of the Evergreens in Florida.  To the families, surprise they have also caught the eyes of Gill-Man who has set his eyes on their college aged daughter.  As the father, you must survive the horrors of the swamp and the terrors of the Creature in order to get your daughter back. This one again would and should be made by TellTale Games and showcase the Universal Monster in a great episodic survival horror adventure. I also feel that the character and his whole story could make for a very solid and fun game that would sure to please classic horror flick fans, kids and even most survival horror fans. This is another game I would order the moment it was announced! And with a re-make of the film in the works, we might just get this!

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The Gill-Man has made it to the video arcades back in 1993 when Bally made a pinball machine based on the Creature From The Black Lagoon that was complete with a hologram creature that would appear in the game’s lagoon.  This is one of my favorite pinball machines, and I can remember going to a local arcade called “Krazy Kats” and playing this machine a lot in my youth. This is truly a retro machine that I would love to own and put into my place of work to let a whole new generation enjoy. If you get the chance you should check it out and give it a play.  It combines a classic Universal Monster, Drive-In Theater and Pinball, what more could a horror kid ask for.

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# 6.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Leatherface alongside his brothers W.E, Choptop and Hitchhiker Sawyer with their ancient Grandpa are a sick family that come from the slaughterhouse industry who are way to much into the meat business as they kill humans and use them for dinner. W.E is the brains of the family and not only does he run a small gas station, he also travels around selling the human meat products to hungry football fans. Leatherface is the dumb brute who acts as the butcher, Chop Top is a vet with a metal plate in his head who is as blood thirsty as a psycho gets as the Hitchhiker is just bat shit crazy. Many have died and only few have survived.  Now imagine a game where you must survive the Sawyer family’s attack as you are alone and stranded by their infamous farmhouse.  The plot would have you, a young man driving through Texas to get to Mexico to meet up with friends on vacation when you have an accident that leaves your car totaled and your spirt low.  Things get worse when Leatherface comes calling, and you must run and fight for your life. I see this playing like Clock Tower 3 but with more of a chance to fight back.  Another feature would be if Leatherface hits you with his chainsaw your injury stays with you through out the game.  So say he cuts one of your hands off, you are stuck with no hand for the rest of the game. Throw in some other characters for kills and you have yourself a video game bloodbath waiting to happen. The game would be filled with strong violence and be set in the late 70’s or early 80’s making room for follow up games. Not to mention this game could go many different routes, it could follow the 1974 series that had 4 films or even the 2003 reboot series that had 2 films.  This is just a rough idea for this game and with more sequels to this franchise in the works, it only makes sense that it should get the game treatment. Companies who should make this game include Konami, THQ, Activision and WB Games. Only time will tell if a game company ever will gas up the old chainsaw again and give us survival horror fans a real classic Texas treat.

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Sadly Leatherface has made it to home consoles thanks to Wizard Video Games.  In 1982 they brought a pixelated mess of a game to Atari 2600 that had you playing as Leatherface chasing girls down in a field and cutting them up with his chainsaw. The goal is to kill as many girls as you can before the gas that powers your saw runs out.  When your turn’s over, a woman runs up and kicks you in the butt! What a shameful only game for a horror icon to have.

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# 5.) Friday The 13th

Camp Crystal Lake has a death curse surrounding it that took hold when a young deformed boy named Jason Voorhees was thought to have drowned in the lake and a pair of counselors were murdered. Jason’s mother Pamela went crazy and killed some teens that were there to reopen the site many years later, and she met her end when she was beheaded by one of her would-be victims. But to everyone’s displeasure Jason didn’t drown, and now is an unstoppable killer who hacks and slashes his way to avenge his mother’s death and to keep all away from his home. Jason has had 11 films that followed each other and a 2009 remake of the original.  This lends itself to be made into a video game for this generation’s systems, and in fact lots of fans of both the films and video games have been waiting for some company to be a hero and make one. This one could take three routes and give the player the choice of playing as a camper who has become the target of Jason, play as Tommy Jarvis who has battled Jason in a total of three films or as Jason himself giving the game replay value.  All three would tie in at the end giving the game a closing. The camper story line would have you trying to get teens out of the camp before they become worm food thanks to Jason’s weapons of death.  Along the way, you must battle the wilds and traps the killer has set, not to mention a copycat killer who is also lurking in the woods. Tommy’s story line would have you tracking down Jason and coming across the government who is there to take Jason away as if he is some sort of super solider weapon. This gives you plenty of action as you must fight them off while Jason is attacking. And Jason’s story would simply be kill.  Kill all the teens, kills the agents, kill Tommy, Kill the camper and kill the fake you! In the end it all comes together for an epic end battle. Again, this is just an idea, and I am sure game makers could make an idea that is way better and give us all a good scary gore filled game. Companies that should tackle this one would be WB Games, RockStar, Konami or Capcom. It’s a shame that we have not gotten this game yet, and I hope one day a game company will listen to what the fans want.

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To be fair, Friday The 13th has made it to home consoles twice, but both game are considered bad.  The first is for the Commodore 64 made by Domark and came out in 1985.  It has Jason almost being a bodysnatcher who is hiding in the body of a fellow person, and you must find out by clues who it is and kill the one you think is the killer. Then in 1989, LJN made a game for the NES that had you playing as camp counselors trying to save kids from a rampaging Jason who would just appear and attack the kids in cabins and you on paths. While the Commodore 64 version is kind of lame and lackluster, the Nes one, while a bad game, is super fun and I kind of enjoy it. Not to mention a few Homebrew games have been made for the Atari 2600 by Salem Frost Games based on parts 2 and 3. With many years removed from these titles, one would hope the hockey mask killer will return to stalk home consoles soon.

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# 4.) A Nightmare on Elm Street

Freddy Krueger is a razor clawed glove wearing, child killing, dream stalking bastard son of a 1000 maniacs who has tormented and killed many teens. Freddy when human was killed by vigilantes for crimes against children and during this he was burned alive and making his spirit haunt and kill the children of those who killed him, making the youths pay for the sins of their parents. Many have tried to stop Freddy and all mostly have lost their lives.  The only one who has been able to beat him twice and live is Alice, a young woman who can bring people into her dreams and take the powers of friends who have passed. Now think about this, Freddy has a total of 8 films and 1 remake he has appeared in, and is one of the most well known horror icons of the slasher years. Now imagine a game where you must fight Freddy in our world and in the dream world and how mant crazy levels could be made, not to mention places from the films like the junkyard, high school and Nancy’s house all thrown in for a nice touch. I see you playing as a young woman who has lost most of her friends to Freddy Kruger while they sleep one night.  When he comes for you, it’s discovered that you have the power to fight him off, and now the war is own as Freddy uses your friends and fears as pawns in order to break you down and steal your soul. This is a film that lends itself to being a very visual game and the possibilities of levels and bad guys are endless, not to mention Freddy can take on many different forms. It makes no sense why WB Games, whose parent company owns the rights to Freddy, would not make a game based on the burnt dream slasher. Here’s hoping that WB finally opens their eyes and sees that this film series would make a perfect game series and that fans would love to step into a nightmare and battle Freddy. And of course Robert England would have to voice Freddy ’cause no one else should!

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Freddy Kruger is no stranger to the video game world and has made a few appearances in some such as 1989’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street” by Monarch for the Commodore 64 that has characters from the third film and has you trying to save Joey from his evil clutches. A year later, LJN released a game of the same title that was a 4 player side scroller that had you fighting monsters and Freddy in order to gather Kruger’s bones to burn them and put him to rest. In 1994 a pinball machine based around Freddy was released to arcades. Then in 2011, Freddy Kruger based on the remake look was a downloadable fighter for the newest Mortal Kombat game. So as you can see, Freddy is ready for an all new full game!

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# 3.) Frankenstein

Henry Frankenstein and his assistant Fritz have built a “man” that is looked at as a monster who has super human strength, fears fire and has the hatred of all the villagers coming down on his patched together body. Henry at first stands by his creation but quickly turns when the monster gets loose and goes on a rampage. The Monster in this film series has been burned, blown up, sank in quicksand, fought the Wolf Man, had his brain switched, fallen in hot molten sulfur, been frozen and even had a Bride who wanted nothing to do with him! The Frankenstein Monster is the first classic horror monster to have a long running series that totals 8 films, and this is something Universal should be very proud of. Once more this is a great chance to get sequels made for these classic films in the way of a video game, and once more TellTale Games should be the ones to tackle it. In fact this is a game that I would love to make and have spoken to a few people about maybe getting this ball rolling on getting one made.  So if anyone at TellTale is reading this, contact me! The beauty of these classic monster games is that you can make the ratings E or T and make them scary and fun for all ages. Plus the Universal Frankenstein lore is so rich and has so many amazing characters that a company could turn out a few games based on this IP. Imagine a game where the player is in control of both Dr. Frankenstein and his Monster and some other familiar faces show up like the Bride and Ygor.  The plot I have in mind would be an epic spooky tale that would sure to please gaming and film fans!

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Frankenstein’s Monster sure is not a stranger to the video game world, and his image has been used in many games from NES’s “Castlevania” to Atari 2600’s “Frankenstein’s Monster” but very few have been based on the Universal Monster license. Once more a quick cash-in text-based game for the Commodore 64 called “Frankenstein” was released by CRL in 1987, but once more had no real ties to the Universal film. Some time in the 90’s Tiger Electronics released a handheld game based around The Monster, and in 1998 Williams released a pinball game called “Monster Bash” to arcades that featured all of the Universal Monsters in a rock band.  In 2012 a free to play online MMO called “Universal Monsters Online” was released, and while a cool concept, the character designs are generic. So here is hoping that some stormy night lightning strikes, and Frankenstein’s Monster comes alive on our PS3 systems.

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# 2.) Hellraiser

A puzzle box holds the secrets of both pleasure and pain but knowing this information comes with a terrible price if you solve the box’s riddle: the cenobites! Led by Pinhead, the cenobites will torture and kill you and damn your soul to a hell like limbo where you will forever face your own private hell. The cenobites’ world is a giant maze, and their god is Leviathan.  Only one man has ever escaped them and that was Frank Cotton who in turn brought this nightmare onto his brother’s family, specifically his niece Kristy who in turn is the first human to defeat the cenobites.  Like A Nightmare on Elm Street, this is a perfect fit for the video game world and has so many characters and possibilities that could make this game a creepy experience. Even though, I am not a full fan of this genre this would be a cool first person shooter and could tap into the creepy atmosphere of the maze-like Hell and deliver scares like the F.E.A.R. series or even Doom 3. The plot could have you opening the box by mistake and being sent to Hell.  You must use the Puzzle box to fight off Cenobites and other worldly creatures in order to get back to life as you once knew it. Pinhead would be the final boss, and it would be cool if through out the game he taunts and sets you up making you think you have won at many different moments. This could also be made into an amazing third person game and take all the great elements that make a game like Silent Hill work and add them into a game were you must travel to the Cenobites world in order to save your loved one from the hell they have made for themselves as they were dumb enough to open the box. Imagine creeping around the maze like world and running into Chatter. Once you save them and return to our world that game doesn’t end and Pinhead and his crew come to claim whats theirs in what could be an epic final boss battle in a game! The game makers should allow Clive Barker, the master mind behind this story, to write the script and of course have Doug Bradley voice Pinhead.  It should include all the classic Cenobites from the first two films (Female, Chatter and Butterball). Hellraiser has a total of 8 sequels and a remake is being planed showing this series does have a good following even if some of the sequels were direct to DVD stinkers. With the Weinstein Company opening TWC Games in 2011 this game could one day become a reality and while I don’t think it will make it for the PS3 life cycle I do have faith that the PS4 will. They make the game, and we would play!

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Hellraiser is no stranger to the video game world but almost seems to be a cursed IP with games based around it never seeming to see the light of day.  In 1990 Color Dreams (a unlicensed game maker) attempted to make a Hellraiser game for the NES, it was set to be you in a maze fighting monsters but sadly the plug was pulled when they realized Nintendo was on a rampage, running these rogue game companies out of store shelves and that the cost to make this game was becoming to high.  You see, they designed a better cart with better chips to make the game bigger and better. Even Color Dreams PC version was ditched and ended up at the pixel graveyard. Also sometime in the 90’s, a rumor was going around that Konami, the fine folks who brought us Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania and Saw, were developing a game for the original Sony Playstation,  Once more cost kept this game from seeing the light of a TV Screen.  This game would have had you collecting charms from Cenobites. And then in 1996 Magnet Interactive was working on a game called Hellraiser: Virtual Hell that was a first person shooter that had the player solving puzzles and fighting off cenobites and other creatures. Doug Bradley was in this game as they filmed him for cut scenes during breaks of filming Hellraiser: Bloodlines. This game was scraped due to a terrible game engine and the lack of faith and effort given to the project from the company. The only game that did make it somewhat to home consoles is a home brew Atari 2600 game called Helloween that combines Hellraiser and Halloween,and is really more of a Pitfall clone. So sadly there were many games planned, and none of the official ones ended up in gamers’ hands.  So here is hoping a company will come through and make a scary, chilling and gross game based around Pinhead.

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So here we are at the # 1 spot, and I have chosen everything from silent horror icons, Universal Classics to slashers and zombies and each of these I truly think would make amazing games.  That’s the one thing about video games nowadays, they seem to not want to take a chance and they only seem to want to stick with things that have been done and rehash sequels and recycle the game over and over.  I mean do we really need a new Call of Duty or Madden every year?  But with this said let’s go onto the # 1 Horror Film that I think should be made into a video game.

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# 1.) Halloween

Michael Myers killed his older sister at a young age and had spent most of his youth in a mental asylum where he shut down and never spoke.  His doctor, Sam Loomis, sees that the young man no longer has emotions and had turned into a nothing more than a ticking time bomb. Many years pass and now an adult Myers has escaped and is on a murderous path toward his hometown of Handenfield, Illinois targeting teen girls and more importantly his baby sister who was adopted. Michael Myers has returned in 6 sequels and has had a remake that also spawned a sequel and is one of the most popular slasher icons of the silver screen. While at first he was just a sick and twisted human, he later became a undying killing machine.  This film is perfect for a video game and has so many great levels and backgrounds that can be used from the mental asylum to the run down Myers house, each spooky in their own way. Imagine playing a level in the basement of the Myers house and all you have is a flashlight and that white mask of Michael comes popping out of the darkness, you know you would scream. When I was a teenager I even wrote a Halloween game that I wanted to make for the Sony Playstation with the help of Konami.  The idea I had then I think still works now as you play as Dr. Loomis who must stop Michael Myers’ rampage that has him targeting a young woman once more on Halloween night.  It would take you all over the town and famous sites like the Myers home, the asylum and the high school. The goal is to set traps and fend Michael off until you can get the girl to safety and if she dies, the game is over. This was just the old idea of a teenage boy; imagine the epic game we could get if Capcom, RockStar or even TellTale put some AAA game writers on it. This is a game I truly hope makes it into my game library so that I can enjoy the chills late night in the TV’s glow.

Wizard Video struck again in 1983 when they released Halloween for the Atari 2600 and had gamers play as a babysitter of tons of kids in a huge house.  You must guide the kids away from Michael Myers.  The film’s theme plays in 8-bit glory every time Michael shows up. Halloween had to have been the most bloody and violent game released at the time and depicts decapitations and murder of young children both complete with pixelated blood. But much like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the game was a bomb and was not showcased at retail stores causing poor sales. And for years gamers have asked for a new game based on this series that has yet to be made.  With TWC Games still open, one could only hope that we will get one in the future. And I should say that while the Atari 2600 game was by no means great, I still have a blast playing it. 

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So there you have it, 21 horror films that I think should be made into a video game for current generation home consoles.  Survival Horror and and plain horror themed games have been a staple in the industry, and while I feel they don’t get the push and quantity they deserve on home console, it seems the PC Gaming world gets plenty. One of the best ones has to be the free to play slasher fighting game called Terrordrome.  Imagine a game that allows you to fight as Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers or Freddy Kruger and beat up the likes of Candyman, Manaic Cop or Ash! Sadly this game came under attack from companies like Warner Brothers and now it’s in limbo. 

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Survial Horror will forever live on, and I hope someone in the gaming industry is reading this and takes a chance on one of these IPs so that the fans are finally able to play the blood chilling horror game of one of our favorite horror icons. Next update we go back to the world of comics as we take a look at Marvels Saga of Crystar series.

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Rotten Pixels

This update I think I am going to take a break from comics and films and talk about another great past time for me:  video games.  So I’m dubbing this one Rotten Pixels. I grew up in the prime time for gaming and was a fan of home gaming consoles from the start.  While I never owned a Atari 2600, a childhood neighbor named Brad Burns did when I lived in Waynesville and I remember playing games like E.T., Superman and Raiders of the Lost Ark and being captivated. A few years later my parents got my brother and I a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) for Christmas after our cousins Dino and Norman showed us the wonders of Super Mario Brothers, Ninja Gaiden and Contra. The system was a hit at the Brassfield house, and even my parents would play on occasion.  My Mom liked playing Mario, while my Dad would play sports games like Blades of Steel and WCW Wrestling against us. Those times spent playing the system with my family will forever be amazing memories. The games that seemed to capture my attention were games based with horror themes like Castlevania, Friday the 13th and Ghost and Goblins.  The more monsters, the better, I always thought.

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As time passed, we moved up to a Sega Genesis that we bought off a guy Bryan went to school with for $30.00.  While the system had better graphics and some amazing games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast and Golden Axe, it failed for the most part in the horror department.  While some great horror games would come out like Castlevania Bloodlines and Splatterhouse 2-3, the system was bogged down with some off the wall and down right crappy movie tie in games like Bram Stokers Dracula, Marry Shelly’s Frankenstein and The Lawnmower Man. The Sega Genesis years for me belonged to the super hero games like Captain America and the Avengers, Spider-Man Maximum Carnage and Incredible Hulk.  While I still loved a good spooky horror game the games were just not being made as fast leaving me fighting super villains and not horror icons. The Super Nintendo would come along, and my brother would be the one to take that step and get the system when we moved to Kettering.  While the system had great games, once more I found it had the same bad horror film game tie ins and even less horror games coming.

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We made the next move to Nintendo 64, and while it was a solid system, the lack of horror inspired games led this to be the system of “name brands” for me like Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda Ocrina of Time and Goldeneye. But in 1995 Sony released the Playstation, and things would never be the same.  The system had many great titles and a ton of horror games that become known as survival horror, making this my favorite system and making me a loyal Playstation buyer. Games like Clock Tower 1-2, Resident Evil 1-3, Silent Hill, D and Nightmare Creatures 1-2 kept the gamer in me happy with chilling monster filled games. But during this time there was also a lack of games based on horror films, something that continues to this day.  Sure, every once in a while we will get a game like PS2’s Underworld: The Eternal War and Microsoft Xbox’s Land of the Dead: The Road to Fiddlers Green, but the Underworld game was a European only release, and Land of the Dead was a rushed mess.  But back to the system at hand, Sony Playstation would have many horror inspired games come out during its run like Evil Dead Hail to the King , Juggernaut, Over Blood, Legacy of Kain, Dino Crisis, Castlevania Symphony of the Night to name a few. I spent many of late nights in my room or in the family room playing these chilling games alone or with great friends like Jason Gilmore and Andrea Seay, and enjoying every spooky moment. The PSX had a few movie tie-ins that were based on horror/sci-fi films like Evil Dead, The Crow and Alien. Then In 2000 the Playstation 2 was released and like its predecessor it had a nice amount of Survival Horror games released including sequels to Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Evil Dead and Clock Tower, and introduced new series like Siren and Fatal Frame.

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In 2006, the Playstation 3 was released and along with it came HD survival horror games! Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Siren, Splatterhouse and Castlevania all have sequels that came out with top notch graphics and continued the amazing story lines. The PS3 also had horror writer and director Clive Barker help make a game called Jericho.  Konami released games based on the SAW movies to be a companion to their popular Silent Hill franchise.  There were many more great games like the goofy cult classic Red Seeds Profile, zombie first person shooter Dead Island, and the F.E.A.R. series that added end of the world themes with the supernatural.  These are just a handful of amazing titles that have come out on this amazing system. While they are not the best of the PS3 horror titles, the SAW games are some entertaining games that show that horror films CAN make some good solid games! Kanomi has only released two in the series and there is a rumor of a third game which, as a fan I am hoping will come.

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In 2013, PS3 and Xbox 360 were supposed to get a game based on Childs Play’s killer Chucky! TikGames is the company that making the game, and they claim that in game you will play as Chucky and spend the time plotting against and killing all those who are in your way. The downside to the game is that as of this point it will not be a disc based game but a download only title that it appears will not feature the voice talents of Brad Dourif who has voiced the doll killer in five films. While I am hyped for the game I am still a little let down in the game’s handling, and I feel like the download games are most the time just throw away games. As you can see by these pics at least his look is well done. But as of late 2012, it looks like this game has been canceled.

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I could go on and on about video games, but that’s not the full reason for this update.  The main reason is the fact that there are many horror films that would lend themselves to becoming amazing video games for a present generation system (aka PS3, XBOX 360, WII).  So I would like to do a Top 20 list of films that should be made into games.  I chose from a list of many, and it was hard to choose just 20, but I was able to limit down my list and choose ones that would lend themselves to the gaming world. But enough of the build up, let’s start the list with a nice runner up one that came close to making the final cut.

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# 21.) Puppet Master Series

Andre Toulon is a puppeteer who has the secret to turn his puppets into living, killing beings! At first Toulon used his puppets for good to fight the Nazi’s that were responsible for the death of his wife. But after his suicide, others used the Puppets for evil as did Toulon when his secret formula later brought him back to life. The Puppets (Blade, Jester, Pinhead, Miss Leech, Torch, Six Shooter, Tunneler) have become good and bad guys and have dispatched  ancient demons and even had a fight with The Demonic Toys, another film series from Full Moon Pictures. What the game could be about is that at first you play as Alex Whitaker (psychic from the first film) who must find a way to fight and capture the puppets and turn them from evil to good at Bodega Bay Inn and must use them to help stop a evil cult who wants to steal the secrets of the puppets for an evil plot. The rest of the game is spent playing with your choice of a team of three from all the puppets and using them to fight back against the cult. While the game at this point would not be a huge IP (Intellectual property) for a company to pick up, its cult following and 11 films done and one on the way proves this franchise has a good fan base.

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# 20.) Rawhead Rex

Clive Barker’s short story of the same name from The Books of Blood Volume 3 came to the silver screen in 1987 and told the story of a pagan god who was released onto the countryside of Ireland and an author who must risk his life and that of his family in order to stop the killing machine once and for all. The film’s subject would be a perfect fit for a video game as Rawhead would be the main boss and his followers, the goons you must fight off. Rawhead would pop up through out the game and give chase much like Nemesis in Resident Evil 3. It would be great if the character you are is caught off guard from the start of the game and must use whatever he can find to fight off the crazed followers. The gameplay would be very close to Silent Hill and Red Seeds Profile and would have the vast world of Ireland’s countryside complete with farms, barns and small towns. The movie, while very low key and having a cult status, should be and should have been made into a bloody good survival horror game.

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# 19.) Wishmaster

 A evil Djinn grants wishes to those who posses a gem that binds him to do the bidding of the owner.  The Djinn, who can become more powerful by capturing the soul of the possessor, must do so to bring on the end of mankind and the age of the Djinn’s. The film sparked three sequels, and while the second in the series had the same Djinn, the following two sequels had a new one showing that there is more than one of the powerful beings. The game would be a fun one that would have the player making the mistake of waking the Djinn from the gem and causing chaos all around them, with many Djinn’s and the fact they can use their power to create monsters and have the ability to steal the looks of those they choose.  It would make this game a fun time trying to figure out who is friend and who is foe. They could get all crazy with enemies and backgrounds given the fact the villains are so powerful and will be as cruel as possible to get what ever they want. Plus getting Andrew Divoff who played the Djinn from the first two would be a must to voice him again for the game. This could make a great PS3 game and would have also made a great PSX game. While the series has lost a little steam in this day and age, it still leaves itself wide open for a good game.

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# 18.) Phantom of the Opera (1925)

At the Opera House in Paris, a deformed madman roams the sewers causing terror and killing those who go against his wishes to turn a young singer (Christine) into the star of the show. But the singer’s lover Raoul wants to marry her and take her away from the demanding Phantom.  This clash leaves people dead and the Phantom being hunted like a wild animal. The game could follow the aftermath of the film and follow up to what happens when the Phantom who is believed to be dead is in fact not and sets out to get his songbird back, leaving the player to control Raoul having to find Christine who has been kidnapped in the underbelly of France. Besides the Phantom the player would have to also beat rats and vagrants that have been hired by Phantom to stop him at all cost. This could be a mix between a game like SAW and Uncharted and mix horror, action and puzzles together to force Raoul to stop the madman and rescue the lovely lady. The look of the Phantom would have to be taken from this 1925 version and keep the whole Lon Chaney Sr. look of the character.  It would also be cool if his grandchild Ron Chaney would lend his voice to the Phantom character. The legacy of The Phantom of the Opera has lived on not only in the reprints of the novel the whole property is based around, but also in stage and film making the character a classic in the world of horror. I think TellTale Games would be the perfect company to make this one come to life.

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The Phantom has made it to a few games for the PC.  The first is called “The Return of the Phantom,” a game that is very similar to the idea I would want but is one of those early point & click adventures.  The second is “Mystery Legends Phantom of the Opera,” both helping tide over fans of the character. And if ya need more Phantom there was also a pinball machine made by Data East for arcades. So PC gamers they have gotten a Phantom fix, but what about us home console guys, why are we left out in the cold?

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# 17.) Tombs of the Blind Dead

The Knights Templar were the Catholic Church’s right hand men and were the warriors who spread the word of God, until they were all set up and murdered by the same church they worked for and were accused of witchcraft. The Knights were blinded by fire pokers before they were killed, and for this the Knights placed a curse on the small European town that they were executed in. Years later they return as blind zombies to get their revenge and make all pay for their wrongful deaths. The series of films featured them in old ruins and even on a ghost ship showing you cannot escape the blind dead who hear you breath and your heartbeat. The film had three sequels and a handful of copycat films making it a very well loved iconic Spanish horror series.  So if you have not seen them, I recommend them. The game could take place in the small town and could follow you and a group of other survivors as you must survive the night of the Blind Dead’s attack.  Guns, torches, swords and blunt objects are your weapons, and the game will send you into harm’s way many times to save fellow men from what could be their deaths.  Everything in town can be used and every building is open for hiding because the main focus of the game is to save others and survive! The game’s path can change whether or not you are able to save people in your group and depending on the amount you don’t affects your ending. The game could also be multiplayer and would allow you and friends to try and survive the night of terror. This game would fit in perfect with the zombie craze that is sweeping the consoles now and is one that could appeal to fans of the film and those who don’t know the series.

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# 16.) Leprechaun Series

Forget about Lucky from Lucky Charms cereal, this pint sized terror is an overprotective mean magical terror of his pot of gold and will murder you and your friends to get it back! A family moves into an old house and after taking a dried up four leaf clover off a box a newly freed Leprechaun torments them. His weakness is not only the power of the four leaf clover but also that of dirty shoes that he feels like he must clean. The Leprechaun has been in a total of seven films and has been to Las Vegas, Space and even the Hood twice.  He kills in all types of silly yet fun ways, and delivers funny rhymed remarks while doing so. The game could take place with a group of friends who stumble upon his gold and make the mistake of splitting it and making themselves the target of the pint sized terror. This one would be fun to play as either the human who must get the gold back from his friends and or stop the Leprechaun or you could play as Leprechaun and avoid the means of defeating you from the thieves and collect all your gold back. This is just a small idea that would make for a good cheap download game, but I know that there is a full disc-based game to be made with some other idea beyond what I’ve come up with here. This character lends itself to the world of video games and with the cult following, it could easily be a good selling game as well. Warwick Davis is a must to voice Leprechaun and it would be nice to see the look captured in video game form as well. With a reboot of the series in the works for 2013 from Lions Gate and WWE, there might be some hope this film series might get the game treatment.

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# 15.) Phantasm

After the death of a long time friend, brothers Mike & Jody and ice cream man Reggie go to the funeral and find out that the new mortician called the Tall Man is not what he seems.  He is super strong, super tall, loves the cold and controls hooded dwarves and silver flying spheres that can kill a man in seconds! Tall Man has spread death and chaos around the world for many years and wants to ruin the whole world. This amazing yet odd series has four films total and begs to be made into a video game that could be almost an official number 5 in the film series that seems to have had problems for years getting made. The game could finish the storyline that has been presented into the films and could have you play as Reggie and Mike and have them go to war with Tall Man and his followers.  You would have to switch between the two depending on the mission and at times the two would have to complete a mission together. I would love to see this game made, and it should have all the actors from the films voice the characters they played in the films.  It would be a must to have Angus Scrimm voice the Tall Man. Someone should pitch this idea to director and creator Don Coscarelli and a game studio and get this game made! Also when you die, Tall Man should say “You Played a Good Game..But You Died” then laugh…that would be amazing!

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I should also mention for gamers who still have an Atari 2600, they can get their hands on a fan made game cart based on this popular film series.  It’s a maze-based game and plays like an early version of Final Fantasy. The game has not only Tall Man and the dwarves but also an amazing midi version of the films main theme. This is a must have game for fans of the film series and all that’s horror for the Atari 2600. Copies of this cart pop up on Ebay from time to time so keep your eyes open. I happen to be the proud owner of a copy of the game, and I must say while simple, it is a fun gaming experience.

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# 14.) The Howling

The Howling series is one that’s run for a total of 8 films so far and for the most part each follow a different town with different issues dealing with werewolves. The first film follows TV reporter Karen White who helps in the capture and killing of a brutal serial killer whom she thinks turned into a beast before he was gunned down. The station sends her away to a nice resort to relax but instead she finds out that she is in the company of a town filled with werewolves and the killer she thought to be dead is back and is in fact a werewolf! The sequel to the film had Karen’s brother trying to get to the bottom of his sister’s torment and fighting the queen of werewolves. While low budget after the original, the series has a wide open door to making a good video game and has enough characters and locations to keep it fresh. It would be great if in the game you must escape the resort only to find that the whole town is werewolves and it becomes a race to escape the hellish location. Throw in key werewolves from the other films in the series and bam, you have a great survival horror game like Resident Evil that substitutes the zombies for werewolves. Or another idea could be that you are a hunter who goes to different locations from the films to kill off werewolves, you see one of them killed your wife and now you want revenge on them all. This one also could be a first person shooter and support motion controllers. Or one last idea would have you play Ian the werewolf from part 6 and have him at war with other werewolves, that way you can have them fight! While this series does have some stinkers, it still could be a fun cheap IP that could make for an entertaining gaming experience.

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# 13.) The Hills Have Eyes

The Carter family goes out into the desert looking for an old family mine, and while on the quest they suffer some car issues that lead to them fighting for their lives against an inbreed family lead by the father named Jupiter.  The death toll rises and only one family will make it out alive. The film spawned an official sequel and a remake that also had a sequel. The game could take place in the desert and would have you playing as a new family that finds themselves the target of the hills family.  The goal of the game would be to rescue and dispatch the cannibal family before you and yours become dinner. It would be a prequel as well that way you can add in all of the family and show a little backstory of who and what they do, and as well they could make up and add new family members. The plot of the game could also take many twists and turns and could really build up the suspense and horror of what this family does. It should be based on the original films and not the remakes and must have Pluto look like Michael Berryman, and include the rest of the family and from the first and second film making this a full tie in. This one could be made and while the IP is not a major household name if the right amount of survival horror and terror is placed in the playing experience I am sure horror gamers would check it out. I would like to see Rock Star or Konami handle this title.

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# 12.) SCREAM

Sidney Prescott is a teenage girl who is dealing with the murder of her mother and the relationship she has with her boyfriend. But when fellow classmates are being slaughtered and she gets haunting phone calls, she becomes the focus of a killers sick game.  The killer known as “Ghostface” is out for blood and fame, and Sidney must fight to stay alive and to figure out who the killer is! This one also was made to be a video game and with the graphics and advanced programing this could be an amazing game! The game again could play like Silent Hill mixed slightly with Resident Evil and could follow you as Sidney Prescott or another young lady who is being stalked by Ghostface and how you must find who the killer is and save those he has also targeted. I know many people have said they would like to play as the killer but to me that would not be as fun as trying to survive his attack. With the The Weinstein Company getting into the video game business with the birth of TWC Games, one would think it’s only a matter of time that a home console gets a game based on this film series. Fans want a game as you can see by this “fake” PS3 cover.

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TWC Games did make a Scream 4 game, but sadly it’s just an iPod/cell phone game and to me those are not really true games they are just small games for none gamers who play the games while waiting. In the game you play as Ghostface and must kill your target and avoid being captured by the cops. So with this I must say come on TWC Games get on making a full game for PS3 and Xbox 360.

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# 11.) Hammer Frankenstein Series

Doctor Victor Frankenstein is a man hell bent on creating life and finding the secrets of life and death.  Along the way he doesn’t care who he has to kill or swindle to get what he wants. After many failed attempts to create life Victor has been hung, been burnt and attacked by his own monsters many times.  If fact when we last see him, he is a patient in a mental hospital who is in fact running it.  The Hammer Frankenstein series has a total of seven films and every installment has a different monster! Victor Frankenstein was played by the amazing british actor Peter Cushing who American fans also know as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars.  In fact David Prowse who played two monsters in the series was also the man in the Darth Vader suit! The series left itself wide open for another sequel and what better way then to do one in the video game world.  It could take place in the asylum and have you play as The Baron as the inmates have turned on you.  You working on a new monster, but something goes wrong as you must battle your old monsters from the past.  All the creatures from the past seven films could be present and you must destroy them and your new creature all the while trying to escape the inmates, guards and monsters. Or you could play as a man who has had his girlfriend kidnapped by Victor who has taken a shine to her and has decided she will be his.  So you travel to the asylum and must battle inmates and all the monsters of the past that have been rebuilt by Victor in order to save your woman. This would be a Hammer fan’s dream, and this could happen if Hammer that has now been reopened decides to get into the growing game market. I would line up to play a game based on this series, and I am sure many others would as well. I would like to see Konami, Capcom or THQ tackle this one.

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Well this is the end of the first wish list for horror films that should be video games, and we have made it from 20 to 11 and have even had one bonus film! To me it’s odd that more film companies have not gotten into the game business.  I mean WB has been in and has made a killing on their Batman titles. Universal has gotten kind of into the game world with working alongside companies like Telltale Games and TikGames to bring Back to the Future, Jurassic Park and the soon to released Childs Play to gaming consoles, and even Paramount has released new games based on Days of Thunder and Top Gun. The Weinstein Company has said they will be making games when the only thing that has been released is a cell phone game based on Scream, and one company that should get into the gaming market is Lions Gate that owns the rights to many horror properties that could make great games.  I mean Lions Gate has the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie coming out made by the people who did the SAW series and what’s keeping them from teaming with Konami and Zombie Studios to make a game based around Leatherface and his family? Well while you try and figure out the answer I will see you all back for part 2!