#GamingTuesday Until Dawn Review

Until Dawn is a new Playstation 4 Exclusive release of the survival horror genre where your split second decisions shape not only your story, but your characters personalities as well.  The story revolves around 8 teenagers on a mountain retreat after a hiatus from each other because of a tragedy that occurred during the same annual retreat a year previous. Of course, everything starts going downhill from the minute they arrive, and it's your job to get each of the characters through the night. Check out the game trailer below (we recommend watching in fullscreen):

What's wonderful about this game is that it plays similarly to Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls where you are basically in a movie, but because of your decisions, the story arc changes along the way, and you could have a totally different story during your second or third playthrough than the previous ones. There are hundreds of different story arc possibilities, and although it seems overwhelming to a new gamer, it is quite simple to play. During each cutscene, you take control of a different character and make decisions for them along the way, which could affect other characters, and their own live or die outcome. Obviously, it's your job to keep them alive.

We start off with the basic, stereotypical personalities. The jock, the mean girl, the nerd, the bookworm, and so on, but as you make decisions for the characters, you shape them and the world around them, and could possibly end up with a different personality all-together. During our second playthrough, we ended up making the bad boy a true heroic romantic, as well as turning the mean girl - easy girl into a truly complex, modest, and even sympathetic woman, when our first playthrough held true to their starting personalities. Because of this, we got brand new conversations and cutscenes, and even strengthened the bond between certain characters. And there are characters that you love to hate, who you think you might not care if they live or die, but when you are placed in their shoes, you begin rooting for them to live. This makes the game even more emotional if you end up making a decision that results in the loss of one or more of those characters. And by the way, there are no second chances. There is no respawning. You don't get a re-do unless you restart the game. So you have to try like hell to make it count.

The graphics are amazing. You really feel like you are watching a horror movie with all of the scenes seamlessly meeting gameplay to give everything a very cinematic feel. There are also two characters who have scenes during each intermission - or between each chapter. One character you play, but you are unaware who you actually are, and the other is a Doctor or Psychiatrist of some sort who observes your game play and talks to you about it during these scenes. This is where things get tailored to you, your fears, and playstyles. This is one of our favorites parts, as it plays a part in shaping the story's "scares" just for you. He asks you questions regarding your fears, and it's important that you be honest. You may hate something, and not want to see them in the game, but it will make the game all the more scary for you if you are honest instead of choosing something that may not scare you as much. Joey tailored his to spiders and zombies, where Drew choose clowns and darkness. This did significantly change some of the scenes, as Drew's game was dark and more sinister, and Joey's had more creepy crawlies and jump scares.

We also like the fact that just when you think you have the game figured out, it changes up on you. You have the obvious slasher touches, but there are supernatural parts as well, and we love when those two things are mixed.

Also, this: Start watching at 1:11 and stop right after the Don't Move feature for no spoilers.

The Don't Move feature made us almost wet ourselves. Seriously. The controller can sense your movement... in the slightest. Even breathing can make you move. And you don't want to move. Believe us. But it's a truly wonderful feature that lets us delve even deeper into the gameplay and lets us believe that we are actually in it to win it.

Also, when you pause the game, whichever character you are playing will be on the menu and in what condition they are in. If you look at your stats, it shows you how each character's relationship with the current character is, as well as how you have changed their personality during gameplay. You can tell because their starting stats are marked with a white line. Anything you change either dips below the line or goes above the line to show you how you are shaping them with your decisions. There's a glimpse of the character menu below.

Once you have finished the game, you can go back and play by chapter. Be warned, everything after the chapter you go back to will be deleted in order to re-write your story. It's not so bad if you don't like your ended and go back to the last chapter, but we weary when going back further, as you will have to play the rest all over again. This also erases the clues and such that you have found within those chapters. You can also choose how to use your controller, whether traditional, or motion. Motion makes the game a little harder as you are using full movement instead of the sticks to move like in traditional, but can be rewarding. Check out the main menu below to see more.

One last thing before you read on to our gameplay. We absolutely LOVE the theme song! Check it out below.

Playthroughs

The first playthrough was Joey and I, so we split the characters up. I took on the 4 girls, and Joey took the 4 guys. We made it a game all in itself to see who would have the most remaining characters at the end of the game. When a new scene would come up with our characters, we would pass the controller and played it as a two player game with one controller. This made things interesting, fun, and even more competitive.

You know how you can watch those slasher films and scream at the tv when people are running up the stairs instead of out of the front door? Or how angry you get when they decide to check the basement out when we all know horror movie rules, and that checking basements an attics is always a don't. You think you know what you would do, but when it comes down to actually doing it, making those split second decisions (literally, the game gives you maybe 15 seconds to decide what to do), but you just don't know until you are really in it. I thought was a Scream Queen (which I still think I'm holding my title well), but my first playthrough with Joey gave me rude awakening. Sometimes you make bad decisions because it's you, not them, and sometimes that leads to the death of your character... or all 4. Yes, I lost. Hard. I failed to keep three of my girls alive, but one of those was by choice and, well... we went out in a blaze of glory. Literally.

On the second playthrough, we had our friend Drew play with us, and split the characters as evenly as possibly, choosing them like you would choose people for your dodgeball team in gym class, round-robin style. My team consisted of Sam, Jessica, and Ashley (who I dubbed Smashly after the fist to face incident - you'll see when you play), Joey's team consisted of Josh and Matt, and Drew took on Emily, Chris, and Mike. Also, it's against the rules to kill someone else's character, so you lose points if your decisions result in the loss of someone else's character, but you can redeem yourself by being selfless and sacrificing yourself to save someone else character. Also, I would like to point out that the way Drew played some of the characters that Joey had previously was totally different, which resulted in HUGE personality changes of not only Mike (his), but Jessica (mine). We pretty much had a totally different story than the first playthrough, and because Drew was so diligent in finding all the clues to side stories, our main characters had a lot more conversation scenes that previous. Our end result was Drew winning the day  (even though he actually killed on of my characters because he didn't get to her on time to save her, but I forgave him... after about 3 hours) with all of his characters remaining alive. I came in second (tied with Joey) with one remaining character - Ashley, and Joey in with Matt being his only survivor. But, that's pretty good if you think about it. That means, in all, we only lost 3, when our previous play through left us with Mike and Emily.

Drew's first PS4 Screenshot. Just beautiful. We're so proud!

We all absolutely loved this game. We would highly recommend it, especially for story based fans, and absolutely for horror buffs. In all, we give this game a solid 9 out of 10. Make this your next purchase, for sure.

Is There a Killer Amongst Us?

I wouldn't say that I'm any sort of professional detective, and just because I watch detective shows or even being a horror movie buff doesn't make me an expert. But when something just doesn't sit right, that feeling that maybe there's more to the story... it intrigues me.

That being said, there have been numerous bodies found in Ada over the last couple of years - well, bodies and bones. But it's the similarities in these cases that has my attention. I believe there may be a serial killer in our midst. One who kills by asphyxiation or something similar. It would have to be killings of opportunity because the M.O. is always the same. It would have to be someone who is patient, that possibly doesn't live in Ada, but rather drives through the area often, maybe for work. Truck driver? Here, I'll lay it out for you the way I see it.

Victim #1: Male, 38 years of age
Ada News - Body Found

Radford was reported missing on January 14th, 2010 by a family member.

“The family told us about some tattoos and we found (them on the body),” Cosper said Wednesday. “He’d been there about the right length of time," Police said.  The body was partially decomposed when they found him near industrial park, which is what they call the place where Flex-n-gate is. The M.E. said there were no signs of trauma, and suspects that he froze to death after checking himself out of the hospital the night before he was reported missing. He had been taken there by family for a mental evaluation, then left on foot that night intending to walk home.

Rundown:
Missing since January 14th, 2010 from The Ada Hospital.
Body Found March 30th, 2010 blocks away near industrial park just off Lonnie Abbott.
Had been missing for 2 months.

One year and five months later:

Victim #2: Male, 42 years of age
Ada News - Remains Found, Identified

Nance's skull and several vertebrae washed up in the creek behind the Chickasaw Nutrition Center off Mississippi. He was last seen outside a government facility on Lonnie Abbott. Police discovered that he didn't own a car and usually traveled on foot, which is what he was doing the day he went missing.

Rundown:
Missing since July 7th, 2011 from Lonnie Abbott.
Found April 13th, 2012 Just off of Mississippi.
He had been missing 9 months.

1 year and 1 month later:

Victim#3: Female, 42 years of age
KTEN Report, Tracy Roberts

Tracy was last officially seen at her ex husband's home in Ada, Oklahoma. They apparently had a fight, and Tracy took off on foot. She was never seen again. Reports of a possible sighting directly outside of Ada on Highway 3w by the Chickasaw Travel Stop heading west still on foot were given later that evening. She also didn't own a car, so walking was her main means of transportation. Her remains were found, partially decomposed, in a wooded area behind the Linden Apartments Just off where Lonnie Abbott turns into highway 3W, technically JA Richardson Loop.

Rundown:
Missing since August 1st, 2012 from 3W Near Chickasaw Travel Stop.
Found on October 13th, 2012 just off JA Richardson Loop.
She had been missing for 2 months.

Granted, she is the only female victim so far, but I think it's more of an opportunity killing. We can say that she doesn't fit in here with the other victims because she's a woman, but look at all the other facts. She was on foot. She was around the same age as the others. She was alone. She was found around the same area as the others, somewhere just off Lonnie Abbott.

2 and a half years later:

Victim #4: Male, 37 Years of age
OKC News

Victim #4 was released from Oklahoma State Prison on Feb. 27th, 2015. He was a registered sex offender, and was in prison for an array of other crimes as well. He was well tattooed, and was to report to his P.O. on March 16th, which he never got around to because he was found dead in Ada, Oklahoma. His body was recovered from Little Sandy Creek just off Lonnie Abbott, between Posey's and Papa G's North. The M.E. stated that there were no signs of trauma, and the cause of death is still unknown. Police are unsure of why he was in the Ada area. The night before the body was found, a man was seen in the same area. He ran from police, who pursued, but never found the man. It is unsure whether Eric is the same man.

Rundown:
MIssing since around his release date on Feb 27th, 2015 in OKC
Found on March 10th, 2015 just off lonnie Abbott near Posey's
He had been missing for about a month, give or take a few weeks.

But, why would he be found in the exact area the next day if he ran? I'm not convinced it's the same man... but could it have been our killer? And sure, this one could have died of some sort of drug overdose, since the COD is still not clear, and he was found days after his death, unlike the previous 3 who weren't found for months, but could something have spooked the killer and made him dump/leave the body sooner? Maybe the cops were chasing the killer, who had just murdered Henderson, and then took off when he saw them. Maybe Henderson knew the man who ran... drug deal maybe, and they were both spooked by the cops, but only one of them got away before Henderson was abducted and killed - and when the killer found out there was a possibly witness, he dumped the body early in the same spot he abducted him from to throw the cops off the trail. But this one still smells of the killer.

It does have the same MO as the others, though. Which is why I'm convinced that this one is a victim as well. So here's the MO: Victim late 30's/early 40's, on foot, around the same location as the other abductions. All were found merely blocks away from where they went missing, yet everyone but the last was missing for at least 2 months, and with most bodies being partially decomposed from exposure, it should be safe to assume that they died shortly after going missing. And the reason I said asphyxiation earlier was because there is never evidence of trauma, yet these people were too young to die naturally, and there are no traces, so far, of toxins etc. Also, it would have to be a HUGE coincidence that the creek where the 4th victim was found is also the same creek that washed the remains of the 1st victim up about 2 blocks down. Where they murdered in the same place? Or maybe just dumped in the same place? So what's my theory?

It's probably man somewhere between the ages of 35 and 50 who has a job where he travels through Ada. And it isn't just an 8 to 5 job. It's something that either has varying hours, or something that would require him to work overtime with travel. I assume he drives between Pauls Valley or further west through Ada to McAlister or further East. A regional manager of some sort... something that stresses him out and makes him feel like he has no control. Or maybe he has family somewhere in between that he drives to see. A Walmart Truck driver? Maybe. A Dolese truck driver. Yes! The company is just down the block from Posey's, where the 4th victim was found and possible dump site for the 2nd victim - in a secluded area. And if he drives for them, that would put him driving to and from other Dolese Companies, Which I just looked up, and according to their website, the closest town routes that centralizes Ada is Seminole, Holdenville, McAlister, Davis, Sulphur, Norman, Shawnee, Tishomingo, Atoka, Ratliff, and Ardmore. Holy crap... Dolese Locations.

If that's the case, maybe there are more victims in those other towns.

He's a disorganized killer. He strikes when opportunity arises. If he he sees someone, alone, walking (so he doesn't have to dump a vehicle or worry about them getting away), he offers them a ride. I'm not sure what he does next, but then he dumps them fairly close to where he found them. He's patient because he can wait years for the next opportunity. He's smart. He's strong. And he has a pleasant, trusting face.

So, if there's a serial killer in Ada, why haven't the police said anything, or made the connections? Well, maybe they aren't releasing those connections to the public. We see it all the time on tv and in movies. The cops don't want to cause a panic while they are trying to figure out if the cases are actually connected or not. They don't want businesses to lose money out of the public's fear or a posse loading up to knock down the door of the police station to ask what's being done. And maybe they don't want false leads when they have it "under control" right now. Or - maybe they haven't made the connections yet. It's not like we live in a super huge town with tons of resources for an investigation into a serial killer.

It is quit possible. Serial killers can live among us for years, even decades before being discovered, and some's identities, like the Zodiac, are never known.



What do you think? Are they all related after looking at all the similarities, or just coincidence? I can tell you one thing... I'm not walking anywhere anytime soon.

Top 10 Horror Movies

It's almost time for Halloween! And me being the "Scream Queen" I am, I'm willing to share my top 10 favorite horror movies with you so you can binge watch them as well!

10. Carrie (Both versions, new and old)

While the older version could be named the best version by some, and it is the one that I grew up with, I think the new version did a wonderful job at remastering the old one. It didn't seem to change anything about it, only add to it, and the special effects are a million times better now than they were in the 70's.

In the new version, we get to see a little deeper into the relationship between Carrie and her mother, which is a very important relationship... I mean, it's basically the reason she goes all "Carrie" on everyone. And even though you can't replace the original cast, the new cast does a brilliant job as well. It's definitely a new classic. Hey, go a head and watch them back to back and let me know which one you think is the best. I know, it's hard to decide.

Scare rating: 6/10


9. Paranormal Activity Movies

Once again, say what you will, but these movies brought about a whole new genre of horror. It took what The Blair Witch Project did in the 90's (handy-cam horror) and ran with it. I recently watch the Blair Witch Project, because at 10, it was terrifying, and I noticed that you never even see the Blair Witch. NOT ONCE. Actually, the only thing you really ever see is people freaking out and some guy standing in a corner of some old house at the end. There's nothing scary about that movie, except the unknown and shear panic. Well, and the fact that people actually believed that this was real found footage. Brilliant, really, for the creators at least. These movies however, let you see what is caught on tape when you aren't looking. The story line is pretty good, and I love how all the movies tie in together. There were several times during all of these films where I nearly jumped out of my seat.

Scare rating: For all movies in series - 7/10

8. V/H/S & V/H/S/2

Ahhh, once again, the handy-cam genre at it's best. These movies, like the Paranormal Activity movies, were super inexpensive to make, yet to stories are so good that you kind of forgive the bad CGI. I think the first Paranormal Activity only cost around $1000 to make, and made over, what, millions at the box office. Pretty smart, I'd say. You just can't beat good story lines. And with the V/H/S movies, you get great ones.

Each movie is compiled of 4-6 short stories, which I love, and one larger story to tie them all in. Granted, some of the stories are poop, but it's worth it to get to the good ones. And even the bad ones were good ideas, maybe just poorly executed. Either way, they are worth a watch. I ended up buying both of them because I loved them so much. I think you will, too.

Also, each story within the movies were written and directed by different people, which is awesome, because you get stories from different creative minds and aspects on different subjects, as well as different actors and actresses in each one. So that's pretty cool.

Scare rating: V/H/S - 7/10, V/H/S/2 - 7/10




7. The Amityville Horror (Both Original & Remake)

Here's another original/remake like Carrie. The original scared the ever loving crap out of me, but as I get older, the special effects just don't do it anymore, even though the story is wonderfully gruesome. I mean, it's based on the true story of a guy who killed his whole family, even his young siblings, with a shotgun while they slept, yet not one of them woke up. That's odd enough. I mean, if a shotgun goes off in my house, you better believe I'm going to wake up, let alone 5 shotgun blasts. That's just crazy.

But adding to the story, like in Carrie, didn't work out with the remake this time. They should have just left the story alone and focused on the super awesome CGI they couldn't wait to use. The whole bit about the Native American burial ground... was stupid. The story didn't need it. At all.

Scare rating: Original - 8/10, Remake - 7/10.

6. The Exorcism of Emily Rose

This is one of those movies that still scares the crap out of me today. I can't watch it alone, nor can I barley stand to watch it with someone if the lights are off. This movie makes me super paranoid. The Exorcist and The Rite come in close behind this one for your possession movies for sure.

This one however, pretty much pits the law/science against religion. It's brilliant, because I love me a legal drama and horror, and this movie is pretty much "Law & Order: Exorcism", which I would definitely watch in place of any overworked Law & Order series right now, no matter how much I love them.

The effects are wonderfully scary and the actress who plays Emily Rose (who is also on Dexter) is probably the best actress I've ever seen. It's a shame I haven't seen her in many other horror films, because I would watch them just to see her acting again.
Scare rating: 9/10.

5. Mama

Okay, like dolls, I also can't handle creepy kids. Maybe those things go hand in hand, but either way I hate it. Usually, you put a doll or creepy kid in it and I'm out. Someone who loves me must beg me to see it with them, and then they have to hold my hand the whole time. I don't know why I feel this way about dolls and kids... Maybe Child's Play has something to do with it. And I still haven't seen Children of the Corn. Not. Going. To. Do. It.

But, Joey talked me in to seeing this one, and it even scared the crap out of him. The CGI was okay, you can usually scare me with over-extended jaws, as well, which is what they went for here. And it worked.

Scare rating: 8/10.



4. The Conjuring

So, once again with the creepy dolls... this movie starts out focusing on Annabelle, which is now a full on movie of it's own. I have NOT seen it yet. Dolls, man. But if it's anything like The Conjuring, it will scare the crap out of me.

This movie has a very 1970's feel, which is why I love it so much. It feels like it could have been made right along side the original Amityville Horror.

It was well written, well shot, and based on true stories. you can't go wrong.

Scare rating: 8/10.




3. Sinister

Creepy kids, man.

This one has a true crime writer moving into murder houses in order to write about them. I'm a horror writer, and I would never EVER do this. The house next door, maybe. I mean, we never hear about people dying who were in the house next door...

This one was pretty creepy. Scare rating: 9/10.









2. Stanley Kubrick's The Shining

Absolutely brilliant screen adaptation. You never know if Jack is really seeing ghosts, or if he's just going crazy. This have been one of my favorite movies for a very long time, and I don't see anything else taking it's place. Actually, I think #1 and this movie share a spot for my favorite.

Scare rating: 9/10 because of the human condition.










1. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Oh, my favorite zombie movie ever made! And you should know how much I love zombies... I have written 2 novels about them, and had a zombie wedding! Zombies are my favorite because it all comes down to the people still living, not the zombies themselves. What are people capable of when there is no law, no government, no one to tell them what's right from wrong. Will they stay human... in more ways than one? Would you be the kind to kill or be killed? Would you be Rick or would you be The Governor? That's what makes zombie tells so fantastic. You think you know what people will do, but they always surprise you. You think you know someone, but then they betray you. And then you throw race eating zombies in the mix. How will you survive?

And this movie probably has the best opening of any movie I've ever seen. I actually just watched it again last night, and it's still an awesome movie. And I love the ending. No spoiler alerts here, but I'll just say that it's one of the most well made zombie movies to date. It's only followed closely by a TV show - The Walking Dead, of course. And you HAVE to have zombies in your horror movie line-up, so make it a good one.

Scare rating: 8/10

Other Noteworthy movies: World War Z, Shaun of the Dead, The Haunting in Connecticut, Psycho, Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil, Jaws (I'm still terrified of the Ocean), Night of the Living Dead, Evil Dead, The Birds, Cabin in the Woods, Zombieland, The Fly (Probably the most graphic movie I've ever seen, and that's saying something), The Exorcist, 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Misery, Poltergeist, Scream, 1408, Nightmare on Elm Street (the first and third), The Rite, and Oculus.

The Upcoming movies Annabelle, Dracula Untold, and Ouija (not The Ouija Experiment. That was poop.) looks pretty promising. Let's hope they are good and not poopy crap.